VARRO DE LINGUA LATINA X: A NEW CRITICAL TEXT AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION WITH PROLEGOMENA AND COMMENTARY

• Published in: De Lingua Latina X Vol. 85
• Main Authors: Taylor, Daniel J, Varro, Marcus T
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: The Netherlands John Benjamins Publishing Company 1996
• Subjects: LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS
• ISBN: 9027245738; 9789027245731
• ISSN: 0304-0720

This vol in the Studies in the History of the Language Sciences series contains a Preface & the Latin text & English translation (mirrored) of Marcus Terentius Varro's 1st-century BC De lingua latina X (On the Latin Language, Book 10), preceded by a prolegomena & followed by a critical chapter-by-chapter commentary. This work, the Roman author Varro's largest & most important extant text, originally consisted of 25 books of which only 6 remain; the text is derived from a single 11th-century manuscript of a Benedictine scribe that has many lacunae. The present work falls naturally into two groups, the etymological books & a group of books that deal with the issues of analogy & regularity in the operation of language. Taken together, these books establish Varro as the most scientific of the ancient etymologists & the inspiration for a revolution in the history of ancient language science. Varro's work is discussed as a significant advancement of the Greek science that he inherited. The important features of his linguistic theory are briefly reviewed & the relationship of this edition of his work to prior editions is described. A detailed commentary discusses translation issues, gaps, & other lacunae in the text; explains Varro's ideas; & traces the relationship of Varro's ideas to those of subsequent authors. Bibliog. D. M. Smith