The course aims to cover the main aspects of the historical evolution of the Latin language, from pre-literary epigraphic evidence to post-classical production. Students will reflect on the peculiarities of the various registers of the Latin language in relation to texts of different types and periods. At the end of the course, they will be able to recognise the processes of language evolution and apply the main elements of historical grammar and metrics to the analysis of texts, in order to set an original critical discourse on a Latin text, contextualising it in the historical period and defining its register of use.
teacher profile teaching materials
The second part of the course aims to identify the distinctive characteristics of the Latin language as they emerge from a range of literary and documentary sources, in order to trace the evolution of its linguistic structures from the pre-literary period to the earliest attestations of the rustica Romana lingua.
2) Professor's handouts
3) As a reference tool: F. Berardi, Le vie del latino. Storia della lingua latina con elementi di grammatica storica. Seconda edizione riveduta e aggiornata. Congedo Editore, Lecce 2022.
Mutuazione: 20702461 STORIA DELLA LINGUA LATINA L.M. in Filologia, letterature e storia dell'antichità LM-15 Bramanti Andrea
Programme
The course is divided into two parts. The first part provides a diachronic overview of Latin grammar, beginning with those features attributable to the Indo-European linguistic heritage and examining how they developed and were reflected in Latin phonology and morphology.The second part of the course aims to identify the distinctive characteristics of the Latin language as they emerge from a range of literary and documentary sources, in order to trace the evolution of its linguistic structures from the pre-literary period to the earliest attestations of the rustica Romana lingua.
Core Documentation
1) B. Santorelli, Storia della lingua latina, Carocci: Roma 2025.2) Professor's handouts
3) As a reference tool: F. Berardi, Le vie del latino. Storia della lingua latina con elementi di grammatica storica. Seconda edizione riveduta e aggiornata. Congedo Editore, Lecce 2022.
Attendance
Attendance of the course, either in person or remotely, is recommended.Type of evaluation
Starting from the analysis of one of the passages examined during the lessons, the student will be required to demonstrate their ability to illustrate the main linguistic features of the stage of the Latin language attested in the selected text. Knowledge of historical grammar — specifically regarding sound changes and the morphological formation of parts of speech — will also be assessed.