Evolution of Direct Discourse Marking from Classical to Late Latin: 37 (The Language of Classical Literature, 37) - Hardcover

Jana Mikulová

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9004524991 ISBN 13: 9789004524996

Publisher: BRILL, 2022

Synopsis

If you read a work by Cicero or Seneca and then open The Pilgrimage of Egeria, Augustine, or Gregory of Tours, you will soon notice that Late Latin authors quote authorities differently. They provide a perfect example of synthesising two potentially conflicting traditions – “classical” and “biblical”. This book examines how the system of direct discourse marking developed over the centuries. It focuses on selecting marking means, presents the dynamics of change and suggests factors that might have been at play. The author guides the reader on the path that goes from the Classical prevalence of inquit to the Late innovative mix of marking words including the very classical inquit, an increased use of dico, the newly recruited ait, and dicens, influenced by biblical translations. The book suggests that Late authors tried to make reading and understanding easier by putting quotative words before quotations and increasing the use of redundant combinations (e.g. “he answered saying”).

About this title

About the Author

Jana Mikulová, Ph.D., Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, is interested in the Latin language, especially its development from the Classical to the Late period.

Edition details

• Publisher: BRILL
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9004524991
• ISBN 13: 9789004524996
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 172