Latin continued to be used across Europe long after the end of the Roman Empire. This collection considers key issues arising from the use of Latin in Britain from the 6th to the 16th centuries. Latin in this period was not the native language of its users but was nevertheless used extensively for a wide variety of functions from religion, literature, and philosophy to record-keeping and correspondence. It existed alongside a number of everyday native spoken languages, including English, French, and Welsh. The chapters in this collection consider Latin with regard to the various contexts in which it was used, looking beyond narrow comparisons with its Roman ancestor to see what medieval users did with Latin and the changing effects this had on the language. The fifteen chapters by expert contributors are divided into three parts. The chapters of the first part consider important examples of Latin usage in Britain during four successive periods, the pre-Conquest period, the 12th century, the long 14th century, and the 15th and 16th centuries. In the second part, different spheres of use are considered, including the law, the church, music, and science. In the final part the use of Latin is considered alongside the many spoken native languages of medieval Britain, looking at how the languages had different roles and how they influenced each other. In all the many contexts in which Latin was used, this use reveals continuity matched with adaptation to circumstance, not least in the development of new vocabulary for the language. Between these two poles, users of Latin steered a course that suited their own needs and those of their intended audience.
Reviews
The collection is diverse, and the wide range both of topics and of scholarly approaches provides ample testimony not only to the richness and complexity of the Latin tradition in Britain but also to the impressive achievement of the dictionary's editors and contributors, faced with such a daunting quantity and range of material. * Padraic Moran, Speculum *
this volume excellently demonstrates the breadth and value of the corpus of Medieval Latin from Britain. Individual contributions on the whole are exemplary and will be of great use to a wide readership, while the editorial standards of the volume are high. Although not exhaustive in its reach, this collection is a fine tribute both to the DMLBS and Medieval Latin studies more generally. * Robert Gallagher, The Medieval Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197266083
Author Richard Ashdowne
Format Hardback
Page Count 380
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 818g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 179mm * 29mm