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University of Bologna
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Gerd HAVERLING, Aarhus University
Tense, Aspect and Actionality in Vulgar and in Literary Late Latin
In the development from Early to Late Latin, the Latin verbal system is radically transformed. Among the things that change there are the ways in which the concepts of tense, aspect and actionality are expressed. In the earliest texts we still encounter some traces of the Indo-European system with three aspectual stems and in the texts from the last centuries we find examples of phenomena which then live on in the Romance languages.
In this paper I would like to discuss how these changes in the way tense, aspect and actionality are expressed, are reflected in different kinds of texts from the Late Latin period.
Some of the changes which hit Latin in the later centuries are reflected in all sorts of texts from the later centuries (e.g. dico quod), whereas others are only found in less literary texts (e.g. some phenomena which hit the case system). However, now and then we find an hypercorrect use of old forms in literary texts: this reflects at the same time the awareness of the changes that were going on and uncertainty about the exact function of the old forms.
This pattern is found also in the system of actionality: the loss of the function of several prefixes is reflected in a hypercorrect use of some such forms in literary texts (e.g. conticui 'I was sikent' in Symm. Epist. 5.89) and some new verbs indicating a change which replace older verbs with the suffix -sco (cf. for instance crassesco and incrasso in the sense 'get fat'), are found in non-literary texts and not in the literary ones (where we, however, may encounter new prefixed sco-verbs such as incrassesco).
Similar differences between different kinds of Late Latin seem to exist also in the system of aspect and tense.
A further problem with which we have to deal, is the linguistic competence of those who produced the numerous translations from Greek and of the Greek-speaking authors who wrote in Latin.
References
- Haverling, Gerd, (1988), Studies on Symmachus' Language and Style, (Studia Graeca et Latina Gothoburgensia XLIX), diss., Göteborg.
- Haverling, Gerd, (2000), On Sco-verbs, Prefixes and Semantic Functions: A Study in the Development of Prefixed and Unprefixed Verbs from Early to Late Latin, (Studia Graeca et Latina Gothoburgensia LXIV), Göteborg 2000.
Most recent modifications: February 18, 2003 – latling@classics.unibo.it
Source: Dipartimento di Filologia Classica e Medioevale
No rights can be derived from the information on this Internet-page.
In this paper I would like to discuss how these changes in the way tense, aspect and actionality are expressed, are reflected in different kinds of texts from the Late Latin period.
Some of the changes which hit Latin in the later centuries are reflected in all sorts of texts from the later centuries (e.g. dico quod), whereas others are only found in less literary texts (e.g. some phenomena which hit the case system). However, now and then we find an hypercorrect use of old forms in literary texts: this reflects at the same time the awareness of the changes that were going on and uncertainty about the exact function of the old forms.
This pattern is found also in the system of actionality: the loss of the function of several prefixes is reflected in a hypercorrect use of some such forms in literary texts (e.g. conticui 'I was sikent' in Symm. Epist. 5.89) and some new verbs indicating a change which replace older verbs with the suffix -sco (cf. for instance crassesco and incrasso in the sense 'get fat'), are found in non-literary texts and not in the literary ones (where we, however, may encounter new prefixed sco-verbs such as incrassesco).
Similar differences between different kinds of Late Latin seem to exist also in the system of aspect and tense.
A further problem with which we have to deal, is the linguistic competence of those who produced the numerous translations from Greek and of the Greek-speaking authors who wrote in Latin.
- References
- Haverling, Gerd, (1988), Studies on Symmachus' Language and Style, (Studia Graeca et Latina Gothoburgensia XLIX), diss., Göteborg.
- Haverling, Gerd, (2000), On Sco-verbs, Prefixes and Semantic Functions: A Study in the Development of Prefixed and Unprefixed Verbs from Early to Late Latin, (Studia Graeca et Latina Gothoburgensia LXIV), Göteborg 2000.
Most recent modifications: February 18, 2003 – latling@classics.unibo.it
Source: Dipartimento di Filologia Classica e Medioevale
No rights can be derived from the information on this Internet-page.