CLU44485 Informal Latin

This module is about the relationship between literary and spoken Latin. Classical Latin has been codified through authoritative literary models; but what variations existed between speakers across social levels and over time and space? We will explore the concept of linguistic register, the importance of context in oral and written communication, and the effect of Latin ‘errors’ on modern languages. We will read literary texts that present features normally stigmatized as substandard, sometimes for literary effect – such as the language of freedmen in Petronius’ Cena Trimalchionis –, sometimes as evidence of the diversification of Latin beyond codified classical norms – such as informal letters and curse tablets, Pompeian graffiti, papyri and inscriptions from both centre and periphery of the Roman empire. You will enjoy this module if you wish to expand your understanding of Latin and of the ways in which languages work in context.