A Sociophilological Study Of Late Latin

Sociophilology is a word coined by the author to describe a discipline which combines traditional rigorous philological analysis of texts with the recent insights of sociolinguistics. From these combined perspectives he provides an understanding both of Late Latin (Early Romance) language and of the circumstances of the scribes who have given us the evidence. The chronological span ranges from the later part of the Roman Empire to the thirteenth century. The focus is on the processes by which Latin, at different times in different places, came to be thought of as being several different languages (formal Medieval Latin and less formal Romance Languages); these conceptual distinctions are most directly represented by the decisions taken to write some texts in a new way. There are six sections in the book, each containing four chapters: Section A provides an overview, and is entitled Latin, Medieval Latin and Romance; B, Texts and Language in Late Antiquity; C, The Ninth Century; D, Italy and Spain in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries; E, Spain in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries; F, Sociophilology and Historical Linguistics; followed by a concluding summary chapter, bibliography and indexes. Scholars and Texts investigated include Priscian, Boniface, Rhythmic Poetry, Alcuin, Eulogio de Cordoba, The Strasbourg Oaths, Glossaries, Glosses, and the earliest Romance texts of the Iberian Peninsula; general topics considered in detail, within the Late Latin and Early Romance world, include periodization, the influence of other languages on the development of Latin, change of language names, the nature of sound change, the relationship between speech and writing, the relationship between historical linguistics and sociolinguistics, and the relationship between language-internal variation and language splits.

A 2006 analysis of medieval teaching methods through the surviving manuscripts of the scholar Notker of St Gall.

Changes in the marking of direct discourse show us the vitality of Latin and the creativity of Late Latin authors, who were able to integrate two potentially conflicting traditions – “classical” and “biblical”.

The first comprehensive study on the influence of Latin classical texts and traditions in medieval Hungary based on philological and historical analysis of eleventh century sources. The author proves that the Latin classics had a stronger impact on the formation of Latin literacy in medieval Hungary than it has been acknowledges before. The four chapters of the book (The Cathedral School, The Admonitions of King Saint Stephen of Hungary, The Deliberato of Bishop Saint Gerard of Csanad, The Monastic School) provide important contributions to the philological study of Medieval Latin and the classical tradition in medieval Central Europe.

Dag Norberg's analysis and interpretation of Medieval Latin versification, which was published in French in 1958 and remains the standard work on the subject, appears here for the first time in English with a detailed, scholarly introduction by Jan Ziolkowski that reviews the developments of the past fifty years.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read on Oxford Academic and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. Languages are central to the creation and expression of identities and cultures, as well as to life itself, yet the linguistic variegation of the later-Roman and post-imperial period in the Roman west is remarkably understudied. A deeper understanding of this important issue is crucial to any reconstruction of the broader story of linguistic continuity and change in Europe and the Mediterranean, as well as to the history of the communities who wrote, read, and spoke Latin and other languages. Languages and Communities in the Late-Roman and Post-Imperial Western Provinces offers the first comprehensive modern study of the main developments, key features and debates of the later-Roman and post-imperial linguistic environment, focusing on the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, Gaul, the Germanies, Britain and Ireland. The chapters collected in this volume help us to understand better the embeddedness, or not, of Latin, at different social levels and across provinces, to consider (socio)linguistic variegation, bi-/multi-lingualism, and attitudes towards languages, and to confront the complex role of language in the communities, identities, and cultures of the later- and post-imperial Roman western world. This volume will be accompanied by two further volumes from the European Research Council-funded LatinNow project: Social Factors in the Latinization of the Roman West and Latinization, Local Languages, and Literacies in the Roman West.

Pope Benedict XVI has made the liturgy a central theme of his pontificate, and he has paid special attention to the vitally important role of language in prayer. This historical and theological study of the changing role of Latin in the Roman Catholic Church sheds light on some of the Holy Father's concerns and some of his recent decisions about the liturgy. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council allowed for extended use of the vernacular at Mass, but they maintained that Latin deserved pride of place in the Roman Rite. The outcome, however, was that modern translations of the prayers of the Mass replaced the Latin prayers. What was the reason for the Council's decision and why is there now a desire for greater use of Latin in Catholic worship? Why have some post-conciliar English translations of the prayers of the Mass been replaced? Fr. Lang answers these questions by first analyzing the nature of sacred language. He then traces the beginnings of Christian prayer to the Scriptures and the Greek spoken at the time of the apostles. Next he recounts the slow and gradual development of Latin into the sacred language of the Western Church and its continuing use throughout the Middle Ages. Finally, he addresses the rise of modern languages and the ongoing question of whether the participation of the laity at Mass is either helped or hindered by the use of Latin.

This volume offers a new, synthetic overview of the structure and ritual shape of the Roman Mass from its formative period in late antiquity to its post-Tridentine standarisation. Starting with the Last Supper and the origins of the Eucharist, Uwe Michael Lang constructs a narrative that explores the intense religious, social, and cultural transformations that shaped the Roman Mass. Lang unites classical liturgical history with insights from a variety of other disciplines that have drawn attention to the ritual performance and reception of the mass. He also presents liturgical developments within the broader historical and theological contexts that affected the celebration and experience of the sacramental rite that is still at the heart of Catholic Christianity. Aimed at scholars from a broad swathe of subjects, including religious studies, history, art history, literature, and music, Lang's volume serves as a comprehensive history of the Roman Mass over the course of a millenium.