Book contents
- Early Latin
- Early Latin
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Chapter 1 Introduction: What Is ‘Early Latin’?
- Part I The Epigraphic Material
- Part II Drama
- Part III Other Genres and Fragmentary Authors
- Chapter 13 The Language of Early Latin Epic
- Chapter 14 Early Latin Prayers and Aspects of Coordination
- Chapter 15 Some Syntactic Features of Latin Legal Texts
- Chapter 16 Repetition in the Fragmentary Orators
- Chapter 17 How ‘Early Latin’ Is Lucilius?
- Chapter 18 Greek Influences on Cato’s Latin
- Chapter 19 Greek Loanwords in ‘Early Latin’
- Part IV Reception
- Bibliography
- Index Verborum
- Index of Non-Latin Words
- Index Locorum Potiorum
- Subject Index
Chapter 17 - How ‘Early Latin’ Is Lucilius?
from Part III - Other Genres and Fragmentary Authors
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 July 2023
- Early Latin
- Early Latin
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Chapter 1 Introduction: What Is ‘Early Latin’?
- Part I The Epigraphic Material
- Part II Drama
- Part III Other Genres and Fragmentary Authors
- Chapter 13 The Language of Early Latin Epic
- Chapter 14 Early Latin Prayers and Aspects of Coordination
- Chapter 15 Some Syntactic Features of Latin Legal Texts
- Chapter 16 Repetition in the Fragmentary Orators
- Chapter 17 How ‘Early Latin’ Is Lucilius?
- Chapter 18 Greek Influences on Cato’s Latin
- Chapter 19 Greek Loanwords in ‘Early Latin’
- Part IV Reception
- Bibliography
- Index Verborum
- Index of Non-Latin Words
- Index Locorum Potiorum
- Subject Index
Summary
This chapter examines the language of Lucilius’ hexametrical satires, discussing aspects of vocabulary, morphology, syntax and versification. The varied typology of Lucilius’ supposedly early lexicon (obsolete words; words tied to genre, whether high-style or comic; evidence of seemingly spoken usage in various registers) demonstrates that whatever characteristics of earlier diction Lucilius retains are largely motivated by literary purposes, and often innovated upon. Morphological and syntactical features which Classical Latin will discard are also few and coexisting with diachronic or diastratic variants. Pronounced alliteration, synonymic pairs, and persistent reduction of final -s place firmly Lucilius in pre-neoteric poetic diction - but this too is stylised, marked language. The answer to the question ‘How early Latin is Lucilius?’ is, not very much, if we are looking for evidence of a superseded variety of Latin rather than deliberate literary choices for the sake of register, style or genre.
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- Early LatinConstructs, Diversity, Reception, pp. 351 - 372Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023