"A comprehensive overview of the historical and comparative grammar of Latin, with chapters detailing the phonological, morphological, and syntactic prehistory of the language. There are also chapters devoted to Etruscan and the development of Latin into the Romance languages. There is also extensive up-to-date bibliography. The book has a wealth of knowledge for both the generalist and the specialist, with the basic information presented in outline format and additional details populating the footnotes"--

Like Carl Darling Buck's Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin (1933), this book is an explanation of the similarities and differences between Greek and Latin morphology and lexicon through an account of their prehistory. It also aims to discuss the principal features of Indo-European linguistics. Greek and Latin are studied as a pair for cultural reasons only; as languages, they have little in common apart from their Indo-European heritage. Thus the only way to treat the historical bases for their development is to begin with Proto-Indo-European. The only way to make a reconstructed language like Proto-Indo-European intelligible and intellectually defensible is to present at least some of the basis for reconstructing its features and, in the process, to discuss reasoning and methodology of reconstruction (including a weighing of alternative reconstructions). The result is a compendious handbook of Indo-European phonology and morphology, and a vade mecum of Indo-European linguistics--the focus always remaining on Greek and Latin. The non-classical sources for historical discussion are mainly Vedic Sanskrit, Hittite, and Germanic, with occasional but crucial contributions from Old Irish, Avestan, Baltic, and Slavic.

Forty-one scholars from across the world join in celebrating the work of Brent Vine, whose prodigious oeuvre in Classical and Indo-European linguistics needs no introduction to specialists. The papers in this broad-ranging collection include not just numerous studies of the Classical languages and texts by authorities like A. C. Cassio, Olav Hackstein, Richard Martin, Alan Nussbaum, and Paolo Poccetti, but also work on more far-flung corners of the family, including Lithuanian (Daniel Petit), Lydian (Philomen Probert), Gothic (Jared Klein) and Tocharian (Adam Catt, Ronald Kim), with much more in between.

This text makes use of contemporary work in linguistics to provide up-to-date commentary on the development of Latin, from its prehistoric origins in the Indo-European language family, through the earliest texts, to the creation of the Classical Language of Cicero and Vergil, and examines the impact of the spread of spoken Latin through the Roman Empire. The first book in English in more than 50 years to provide comprehensive coverage of the history of the Latin language Gives a full account of the transformation of the language in the context of the rise and fall of Ancient Rome Presents up-to-date commentary on the key linguistic issues Makes use of carefully selected texts, many of which have only recently come to light Includes maps and glossary as well as fully translated and annotated sample texts that illustrate the different stages of the language Accessible to readers without a formal knowledge of Latin or linguistics

This excellent study traces the relation of Latin to other Indo-European languages and guides the reader lucidly through Latin phonology, morphology, and syntax. It should prove fascinating not only to Latinists but also to linguists generally and, expecially, to students of Romance languages. Over the years, readers have found that Palmer’s treatment of this so-called dead language reveals Latin’s continuing vitality and "soul."

This original guide introduces you to the basic grammar of Vulgar Latin and the Romance languages. Compare related languages to understand how nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, words, phrases and sentences work throughout this language family. Challenge yourself to see commonalities among a range of Romance languages and to understand their shared history from Vulgar Latin. View examples from major Romance languages like Portuguese, French and Romanian, as well as many regional languages like Catalan, Sardinian and Romansh.Clear formatting and a thorough index allow you to identify key terms and quickly cross-reference relevant sections for more information. Romance examples are printed in bold, translations in italics and key grammar terms tackled elsewhere in the book are underlined.Extra materials include comparative grammar tables with notes, a brief tour of Vulgar Latin grammar, a chapter on the pronunciation of Romance, helpful maps and a glossary of language names. Balanced explanations and examples, a thorough index and a clear table of contents make this the ideal reference guide for students and enthusiasts of the Romance languages, Vulgar Latin/Proto-Romance or Romance linguistics.