基本信息·出版社：HarperPress ·页码：400 页 ·出版日期：2007年11月 ·ISBN：0007221754 ·条形码：9780007221752 ·装帧：精装 ·正文语种：英语 ...
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Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin |
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Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin |
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基本信息·出版社：HarperPress
·页码：400 页
·出版日期：2007年11月
·ISBN：0007221754
·条形码：9780007221752
·装帧：精装
·正文语种：英语
内容简介 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.
媒体推荐 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
The cultural, religious and scholastic history of the Latin language - 2,500 years of a paradise won and lost.Polyglot Ostler - he possesses a working knowledge of 26 languages and holds degrees from Oxford in Greek, Latin, philosophy and economics, as well as a doctorate in linguistics from MIT, where he studied with Noam Chomsky - again demonstrates his considerable professorial chops, which readers first encountered in Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World (2005). The depth of the scholarship here is astonishing. He fleshes out his thesis - the history of Latin is the history of Western Europe and, indeed, of the New World - with thick strands from the histories of linguistics, warfare, religion, politics, empire, oppression and more. He describes the birth of Latin in Latium, a region in west-central Italy, its translocation to Rome and its role in the growth of the Empire (Latin became the common language of politics, the military and commerce). He offers glimpses of the lives and creations of Virgil, Horace and Sappho, and credits Cicero for giving Latin "its own corpus of philosophical writings." Moving to the Christian era, he chronicles the adoption of the language by the early church, then examines how the German invasions affected both the Empire and its language - Latin began its metamorphosis into the Romance languages. On he progresses to the importance of Latin in medieval universities, the difficulties of translating Greek and Arabic texts into Latin, the rise of the printing press and the subsequent spread of vernacular languages. And then the long decline. Other languages - English among them - began to gain prominence as they developed formal grammars and produced literary geniuses (think Chaucer), and Latin became a more elite language, known and used principally by highly educated men. Latin retained a weakening grip on the church, until Vatican II, as well as a handful of other institutions, but its study today is limited. Still, doughty Latin-literates can purchase and peruse Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis.Ostler's erudition may occasionally lead readers into impenetrable thickets of explication, but his enthusiasm for the subject is infectious. (Kirkus Reviews)
