engleski

Neo‐Latin Linguistics?

It goes without saying that the use of Latin has been extended well beyond the Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. What is more, the quantity of preserved Latin texts written in the last five centuries is incomparably larger than the corresponding ancient or medieval corpora. Latin writings from the Early Modern Period are much more diverse than their ancient forerunners, they abound in historical and cultural relevance, and their linguistic features are not without interest. Yet, all this is not matched by the scholarly attention given to post-medieval Latin. In the periodisations of the language it is either given a cursory mention or omitted altogether. In reference works and specialised periodicals it is heavily underrepresented. It has been excluded from Latin grammars since they first appeared. Its linguistic features were, for the most part, treated as anomalies or deviations from the classical standard rather than parts of a phenomenon on its own right. The research dealing with it is usually neither systematic nor up to date with the modern theoretical and methodological advances in linguistics. Thanks to the intense development of Neo-Latin studies, as well as the accessibility of electronic tools and the growth of digital corpora, the situation gradually began to change. However, as the overwhelming majority of linguists interested in Latin focus on the period of the Classical Antiquity, the vast bulk of the texts remain short of due analytic treatment. We will argue that the marginal position of post- medieval Latin in the research is caused by the preservation of traditional paths of work and not tenable on the grounds of valid scientific reasoning. By indicating the perspectives its analysis opens, we will make a case for its full and consistent integration with the existing Latin linguistic research. We will hint at some avenues of research that could deepen our knowledge of Latin in general by including Neo- Latin material. This applies especially to non- literary texts, which were more likely to undergo influences from the contemporary vernaculars. Finally, the case will be made for the redefinition of the entire field of Latin linguistics and its research methodology.

Neo-Latin, Early Modern Period, Ancient Latin, methodology, Latin - periodisation

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