How Dead Languages Work

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Coulter H. George (Professor of Classics, Professor of Classics, University of Virginia)

How Dead Languages Work

Coulter H. George (Professor of Classics, Professor of Classics, University of Virginia)

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English

Oxford University Press
09 April 2020

Language: history & general works; linguistics; Historical & comparative linguistics; Literary studies: classical, early & medieval

What could Greek poets or Roman historians say in their own language that would be lost in translation? After all, different languages have different personalities, and this is especially clear with languages of the ancient and medieval world. This volume celebrates six such languages - Ancient Greek, Latin, Old English, Sanskrit, Old Irish, and Biblical Hebrew - by first introducing readers to their most distinctive features, then showing how these linguistic traits play out in short excerpts from actual ancient texts. It explores, for instance, how Homer's Greek shows signs of oral composition, how Horace achieves striking poetic effects through interlaced word order in his Latin, and how the poet of Beowulf attains remarkable intensity of expression through the resources of Old English. But these are languages that have shared connections as well. Readers will see how the Sanskrit of the Rig Veda uses words that come from roots found also in English, how turns of phrase characteristic of the Hebrew Bible found their way into English, and that even as unusual a language as Old Irish still builds on common Indo-European linguistic patterns. Very few people have the opportunity to learn these languages, and they can often seem mysterious and inaccessible: drawing on a lucid and engaging writing style and with the aid of clear English translations throughout, this book aims to give all readers, whether scholars, students, or interested novices, an aesthetic appreciation of just how rich and varied they are.

By: Coulter H. George (Professor of Classics Professor of Classics University of Virginia)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 157mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 468g
ISBN: 9780198852827
ISBN 10: 0198852827
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 09 April 2020
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1: Introduction 2: Greek The sounds of Greek Word-forms The Iliad Formulas Thucydides and abstract language Pauline prepositions 3: Latin How Latin works Lucretius Horace and Housman Tacitus 4: Old English and the Germanic Languages Grimm's Law and umlaut Verbs, strong and weak Old English Beowulf 5: Sanskrit The sounds of Sanskrit Sandhi Nouns in Sanskrit The Rig Veda How to kill a dragon The hidden names of the dawn-cows 6: Old Irish and the Celtic Languages The eccentricities of the Irish language Old Irish in action Welsh 7: Hebrew The sounds of Semitic How Semitic words change shape Let there be light Noun chains 8: Epilogue and Further Reading Endmatter Index

Coulter H. George is Professor of Classics at the University of Virginia. The author of Expressions of Agency in Ancient Greek (CUP, 2005) and Expressions of Time in Ancient Greek (CUP, 2014), he has also taught at Rice University and was a Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Reviews for How Dead Languages Work

The book takes readers through Greek, Latin, Old English and the Germanic Languages, Sanskrit, Old Irish and the Celtic Languages, and Hebrew, introducing their phonology, morphology, lexicons, grammar, and excerpting passages from texts such as the Illiad, Beowulf, and the Rig Veda, to illustrate how the flavor of a language is always lost a little in translation. * Malcolm Keating, Yale-NUS College, New Books Network * On the whole, this is an excellent book, and it should prove a very stimulating introduction to ancient languages in general and to comparative linguistics for students and for interested laypersons. The author claims that he wishes to convey enthusiasm for learning the languages discussed in the book, as well as to acquaint students with a certain degree of linguistic diversity, and he masterfully succeeds in doing this. * Audrey Mathys, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *