How dead languages work / Coulter H. George.

First edition.

9780191887116 (electronic book)

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2020.

English

1 online resource (viii, 224 pages).

P140 .G4 2020

417.7

What could a Greek poet or Roman historian say in their language that's lost in translation? After all, different languages have different personalities, and this is especially clear with languages of the ancient and medieval world. This book 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 can achieve striking poetic effects through interlaced word order in his Latin, and how the poet of Beowulf achieves a remarkable intensity of expression through the resources of Old English.

What could a Greek poet or Roman historian say in their language that's lost in translation? After all, different languages have different personalities, and this is especially clear with languages of the ancient and medieval world. This book 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 can achieve striking poetic effects through interlaced word order in his Latin, and how the poet of Beowulf achieves a remarkable intensity of expression through the resources of Old English.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Access limited to authorized users.

Description based on print version record.

Oxford scholarship online.

Print version: 9780198852827

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