Aims

Further improving of theoretical and practical knowledge of Latin, especially by cursory reading of literary texts from different periods, illustrating the language evolution during Antiquity. The students are invited to a critical reflection on the methods of linguistic description as well as on underlying theories.

Main themes

Introduction to different historical stages of the Latin language in Antiquity : Italic dialects, archaic Latin, poetical language, vulgar Latin, biblical Latin, late Latin, etc. Reading of prose texts leads to the study of remarkable linguistic features and their relevance in stylistics. Reading of poetical and dramatic texts leads to the study of prosody and metrics, both in a diachronic and stylistic perspective. The lectures consist in theoretical accounts and practical exercises and suppose personal preparation of texts at home, conceived as a cursory reading with a full grammatical and linguistic commentary.

Content and teaching methods

Study of the historical stages of the Latin language, from the archaic times to late Antiquity, as illustrated by selected text fragments. The reading and commentary of prosaic and poetical texts is prepared by a personal translation and ends into a critical reflection on the linguistic, rhetorical and metrical bases of literary expression.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Evaluation : written and oral examination.

Other credits in programs