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Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin (Hardcover)

by Nicholas Ostler (Author)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: HarperPress (5 Nov 2007)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0007221754
ISBN-13: 978-0007221752
Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 16 x 3.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 361,193 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Praise for 'Empires of the Word': 'It is a compelling read, one of the most interesting books I have read in a long while!a great book. After reading it you will never think of language in the same way again.' Guardian 'Learned and entertaining!remarkably comprehensive as well as thought-provoking.' Observer 'Ostler is particularly good on this linguistic fragility!This richly various book offers new insights and information for almost everyone interested in the past.' Sunday Telegraph 'A serious work of scholarship, but one that can be read from cover to cover by the amateur enthusiast!the breadth of this analysis is breathtaking!it does its job admirably.' Spectator 'Ambitious and well-researched.' New Statesman

Product Description

A detailed and in-depth biography of the Latin language from its very beginnings to the present day from the widely acclaimed author of 'Empires of the Word'. The Latin language has been a constant in the cultural history of the West for over two millennia. It has shaped the way we think of ourselves and of our (central) place in the world. It has formed and united us as Europeans, has been the foundation of our education for centuries and defined the way in which we express our thoughts, our faith and our knowledge of the workings of the world. And yet, Latin began life as the cumbersome dialect of a small southern Italian city-state. Its active use lasted three times as long as Rome's Empire and its use echoes on in the law codes of half the world, in terminologies of biology and medicine, and until forty years ago in the litany of the Catholic Church, the most populous form of Christianity. In 'Ad Infinitum', Nicholas Ostler examines the reasons why Latin made such a long-lasting impact on language, and how it managed to stay alive for two millennia despite the cultural superiority of Greek.He will look at how Latin's sturdy roots remained untouched while empires rose and fell, the influence of religion and war, and the ways it has progressed through medieval times right up until the present day. The Latin language has proved more far reaching than its creators. Today it continues to define the way our societies have developed technologically and scientifically and the way we practise law and worship our Christian God.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A deeply satisfying read, and re-read!, 22 Nov 2008

By	J. Caldecott "Julian" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An African Goddess once answered the question: How to save the environment? Her answer, through her Oracle: "Know the history of the people!". This book touches its light everywhere across the history of Europe, tracing roots and connections, dispelling shadows, making it make sense. For Latin is everywhere, hiding just beneath the surface of our cultures, and often slipping into plain view even in the most Germanic of contexts. Ostler does a brilliant job of explaining the creation of Latin in the crucible of early Rome, its remarkable spread, its extraordinary persistence, its transmutation from the language of the state, elite and army to that of the church, scholar and romantic. Also, how the glamour of Latin infested the originators of local successor languages, further colouring the European spirit. There are also nuggets of surprise: for example, why is Britain the only former Roman colony in western Europe to speak a Germanic rather than a Latin language? The answer: sixth-century plague amongst the resident Latin-speakers, followed by invasions of Angles, Saxons and other German-speaking language snatchers. Another mystery solved! And this wonderful book, amplifying messages in Ostler's global masterpiece Empires of the Word, is just the thing for making other deep discoveries on a dark winter's night.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely prima, 28 April 2009

By	Christopher Bolton - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A rare basic etymology of Latin.

Who knew that crapulus was a hangover in Etruscan!

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4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book with some caveats, 18 April 2009

By	C. Dixon "Uomo universale" (Devon, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nicholas Ostler has a wide and deep knowledge of linguistics and language history which he brings to bear in this book. Sometimes when he strays outside his area of expertise things can become a little dubious.

In considering the question of why descendants of Latin remain in Europe but not in Britain, Ostler suggests several possible reasons but seems to go for the belief (he's far from the first to suggest it) that the mid-6th century plague which hit Europe de-populated the Romano-British areas leaving the English to take over. He adduces the "evidence" of Y-chromosome data to "support" this (amongst the "English" it is the same gene, amongst the "Celts" it is different), which misunderstands what the data is saying. For one thing, taken as a whole, the genes of the "English" are 85-90% the same as the genes of the pre-English population. Secondly, a group of English males could have taken British wives rather than English men and women taking over depopulated territory (we are to believe that the English first came over as a mercenary army). No doubt petty nationalism will make these arguments run and run. Apart from all this, the plague was Europe-wide with no apparent special circumstances in Britain; so why didn't exactly the same issue hit continental Europe? And why didn't it hit the English equally? Where is the evidence that Latin was ever widely spoken in Britain anyway?

Ostler notes that on a global scale, Latin is a unique instance of where vernacular forms of a language have developed their own written forms (compare Arabic and Chinese where even though there are several very different spoken forms of the language, the written language is always the "standard" language). He attributes this partly to the Latin bible and partly to the reforms of the Carolingian renaissance. Initially the pronunciation of Latin changed locally in the same way as the local vernaculars (Spanish Latin being pronounced the same as Spanish and so on). This meant that the recitation of the bible could be largely understood by vernacular speakers. The reforms of Alcuin to standardise the pronunciation of Latin through Europe to the presumed classical pronunciation meant that the bible was no longer understood, creating an impetus to develop local written languages. Ostler also suggests that the fact that English, Irish, Welsh & German had their own written forms may also have given the Romance speakers the idea, which begs the question of what had previously inspired them? History is full of examples of civilisations using other, often very different and alien, languages for their written communication rather than inventing writing for their own. Developing writing, even if a system exists capable of doing it, always seems to be a hurdle.

One of the most fascinating sections is on the mediaeval translation movement to translate works from Arabic and Greek into Latin. Ostler discusses the major obstacles Latin faced, not just in terms of vocabulary but also with some quite fundamental restrictions in such things as the lack of certain verbal forms and syntactical constructions. For example even the verb "esse" (to be) lacked certain verbal forms which were needed to be able to properly translate the works; these had to be invented, such as "futurus" for a future participle. Ostler suggests in a footnote that prudishness may also have been a hindrance - he coyly remarks that the root "futu-", a form of "esse", is very rude in Latin. To fill in the gap for you, it has the same meaning as an English four letter word also beginning with "f". I have often wondered why "Greek" knowledge never really percolated westward through the Roman empire until carried by the Arabs at a much later date. Could language have been the barrier? Were Arabic and Greek superior vehicles for philosophical ventures which Latin couldn't provide without a major effort of lingustic borrowing and invention?

A good read, but keep an open mind about some intepretations presented here.

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