LJ152 Late Latin

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025

The course is not taught in Spring 2025

Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jana Mikulová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
prof. PhDr. Daniela Urbanová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Daniela Urbanová, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
PROGRAM(N-LJ_) || PROGRAM(N-LJU_) || PROGRAM(N-LLS_) || LJBcSZk Bachelor's State Exam
It is expected that students have knowledge of Latin morphology and at least basic Latin syntax.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to provide insight into the development of Latin during the first centuries of our era and to point to tendencies related to the development of Romance languages. The point of comparison is Classical Latin acquired by students during their previous studies. Some theoretical approaches to the development of language and language change will be sketched as well. Students will search for instances of evolutionary tendencies in Late Latin texts.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- sketch development of Latin in the fields of phonetics, morphology, syntax and lexicon with emphasis on Vulgar and Late Latin;
- compare the features of Late Latin texts with the classical ones;
- show the relation between selected Late Latin evolutionary tendencies and the development of the Romance languages (mainly Italian, Spanish and French);
- distinguish and interpret phenomena documented in selected Vulgar or Late Latin texts;
- explain some basic principles related to the development of language and language changes.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction. Concepts of Vulgar and Late Latin and their definition.
  • 2.–3. Romanization and the Romance languages.
  • 4. Changes in the vocalic system.
  • 5. Changes in the consonant system.
  • 6. Theory of grammaticalization.
  • 7. Nominal system. Changes in declension.
  • 8.–9. Graduation of adjectives. Changes in pronouns, the origin of the definite article.
  • 10.–11. Verbal system. Development of new forms (future, perfect), passive voice.
  • 12. Syntax: accusative with infinitive, quod clauses, absolute constructions, indirect questions.
  • 13. Vocabulary: semantic changes, Greek loan words.
Literature
    required literature
  • HERMAN, József. Vulgar Latin. Edited by Roger Wright. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000, xiv, 130. ISBN 0271020016. info
  • ADAMS, J. N. An anthology of informal Latin, 200 BC - AD 900 : fifty texts with translations and linguistic commentary. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016, xi, 719. ISBN 9781107039773. info
    recommended literature
  • ADAMS, J. N. Social variation and the Latin language. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013, xxi, 933. ISBN 9780521886147. info
  • A sociophilological study of late Latin. Edited by Roger Wright. Turnhout: Brepols, 2002, viii, 389. ISBN 2503513387. info
  • VÄÄNÄNEN, Veikko. Introduzione al latino volgare. 3 ed. italiana. Bologna: Pàtron, 1982, 419 s. ISBN 88-555-0902-0. info
  • ZAMBONI, Alberto. Alle origini dell'italiano :dinamiche e tipologie della transizione dal latino. 1. ed. Roma: Carocci editore, 2000, 226 s. ISBN 88-430-1653-9. info
  • ADAMS, J. N. Bilingualism and the Latin language. 1st publ. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003, xxviii, 83. ISBN 0521817714. info
  • Itinerarium Egeriae. Edited by Marcela Hejtmanová. Vyd. 1. České Budějovice: Jihočeská univerzita, 1999, 244 s. ISBN 8070403381. info
  • Colloquial and literary Latin. Edited by Eleanor Dickey - Anna Chahoud. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010, xviii, 515. ISBN 9780521513951. info
    not specified
  • TAGLIAVINI, Carlo. Le origini delle lingue neolatine :introduzione alla filologia romanza. 6 ed. interamente rielaborat. Bologna: Pàtron, 1982, xlii, 681. ISBN 88-555-0465-7. info
  • The Romance languages. Edited by Martin Harris - Nigel Vincent. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990, xii, 500. ISBN 0195208293. info
  • HEINE, Bernd and Tanja Angelova KUTEVA. World Lexicon of grammaticalization. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, xii, 387. ISBN 0521005973. info
  • LEDGEWAY, Adam. From Latin to Romance : morphosyntactic typology and change. 1st pub. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, xxvii, 434. ISBN 9780199584376. info
Bookmarks
https://is.muni.cz/ln/tag/FF:LJ152!
Teaching methods
Lectures, discussions, reading and analyzing selected Latin texts, reading scholarly literature, searching for documents of selected tendencies in texts, and homework.
Assessment methods
Assessment of the course consists of two parts - requirements imposed during the semester and final oral exam.
During the semester, students have to fulfil various tasks such as finding selected phenomena in texts, reading and commenting on selected passages from scholarly literature, or preparing an analysis of selected texts.
In the oral exam, students have to show that they understand the main developmental tendencies that occurred from Latin to Romance and are able to identify them in a passage selected from Late Latin texts (they will have time for preparation). Students are expected to be aware of the complexity of language change and development and point to various factors that could have been at play.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/LJ152