Using Medieval Latin: A Toolbox of Resources
by Carol D. Lanham

[updated 17 June 1999]

Language and Style

The choice of general textbooks has recently become much less bleak. Keith Sidwell’s attractive Reading Medieval Latin (Cambridge 1995), designed on the model of the well-known Reading Latin, offers a fresh collection of texts, with helpful commentary and vocabulary. In 1997, the University of Chicago Press published a second edition of K. P. Harrington’s venerable anthology Medieval Latin, much revised by Joseph Pucci and with a substantial grammatical introduction by the late Alison Goddard Elliott. A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin, by John F. Collins (Catholic University of America Press, 1985), has excellent notes on grammar and semantics; though its exercises and reading selections are relentlessly religious, its vocabulary is well chosen for working with medieval Latin texts of all kinds. Millennium: A Latin Reader, A.D. 374–1374, by F. E. Harrison (Oxford 1968) is worth a look, and Charles H. Beeson’s Primer of Medieval Latin: An Anthology of Prose and Poetry (1925; rpt. Catholic University of America Press) is still valuable for its selection of texts.

“Allen and Greenough.” New Latin Grammar. J. H. Allen and J. B. Greenough; rev. by G. L. Kittredge et al. Boston 1888, often reprinted.

Everyone needs a basic reference grammar, and this is mine. Two other time-tested favorites are B. L. Gildersleeve and G. Lodge, Gildersleeve’s Latin Grammar (1895; 3rd ed. rpt. with additions 1997) and C. E. Bennett, New Latin Grammar (1908; rpt. 1995); both are available in paperback.

Allen and Greenough is currently out of print, but its entire text is available on the Internet (though it seems awkward to use) <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/text?lookup=ag+gram.toc>.

A. Blaise. A Handbook of Christian Latin: Style, Morphology, and Syntax. Trans. Grant C. Roti. Washington, D.C. 1994.

Proceeds chiefly by copious examples rather than by analysis; covers style as well as morphology and syntax.

W. D. Elcock. The Romance Languages. 2nd ed. rev. by John N. Green. London 1975.

In “The Great Languages” series, designed to be accessible to nonspecialists. Focuses on developments from Latin unity into Romance diversity; excellent for gaining a sense of the dynamics (and varieties) of linguistic change.

Parts of Elcock are enjoyable if you like language but aren’t a professional linguist. He is especially good at conveying the dynamic nature of medieval Latin as the various Romance languages took shape.

“Hofmann-Szantyr.” J. B. Hofmann. Lateinische Syntax und Stilistik. Rev. by Anton Szantyr. Handbuch der Altertumswissenschaft II.2.2. Munich 1965.

The authoritative reference grammar for Latin—though intimidating and sometimes frustrating for English speakers unacquainted with the German termini technici (e.g. “subjunctive” = Konjunktiv, “subordinate clause” = Nebensatz) in its very full analytical indexes through which one gains access.

Hofmann-Szantyr is definitive but hard to use (and wildly expensive). It is useful for medieval Latin, however, because it explains the historical development of phenomena that are common in postclassical Latin and which often have their roots in early spoken Latin, for example the use of prepositional phrases to replace synthetic case constructions such as dative of indirect object and ablative of means; or the use of quod/quia/quoniam to introduce indirect discourse, instead of accusative + infinitive.

Tore Janson. Prose Rhythm in Medieval Latin from the 9th to the 13th Century. Stockholm 1975.

A good introduction to the history of a difficult field. His methods of statistical analysis have been widely adopted—or at least cited.

Einar Löfstedt. Late Latin. Oslo 1959.

By examining words under a microscope, as it were, a subtle analyst draws fascinating generalizations about linguistic change in an important transitional period. Chapter titles include “Local Variation in Latin,” “The Influence of Greek,” and “Changes in the Meaning of Words.” Demanding reading, but a treat for anyone seriously interested in philology.

Christine Mohrmann. Etudes sur le latin des chrétiens. 4 vols. Rome 1958–77.

Collected essays, in several languages, by the foremost student of “Christian Latin.” (Daniel Sheerin gives a balanced summary of this much discussed concept, with an overview of Christian Latin’s distinctive features + ample bibliography, in Medieval Latin: An Introduction and Bibliographical Guide, pp. 137–156; see also the relevant chapters in Löfstedt and Palmer.)

Dag Norberg. Introduction à l’étude de la versification latine médiévale. Stockholm 1958.

To the (sufficiently complicated) quantitative metrical schemes of classical poetry, the Middle Ages added a variety of accentual, rhythmic verse patterns. One is thankful for this expert guide.

Dag Norberg. Manuel pratique de latin médiéval. Paris 1968.

Contains an 80-page history of medieval Latin, and selected texts with linguistic commentary. There is nothing comparable in English: Rigg’s articles in the DMA are probably the best place to find an authoritative overview of linguistic and literary developments in English, though they are on a less generous scale than Norberg.

L. R. Palmer. The Latin Language. London 1954; paperback rpt. Norman, Okla., 1988.

Like Elcock, in “The Great Languages” series. See especially the chapters on spoken Latin (in Plautus and Terence), Vulgar Latin, and Christian Latin.

A. G. Rigg. “Latin Language,” Dictionary of the Middle Ages 7 (1986) 350–359.

An excellent orientation to the distinctive features of medieval Latin, including pronunciation and spelling changes from classical Latin. An interesting section addresses “how Latin was learned” in the Middle Ages. Rigg also contributed the immediately following articles on “Latin Literature” (359–371) and “Latin Meter” (371–376).

Gabriel Sanders and Marc van Uytfanghe. Bibliographie signalétique du latin des chrétiens. Corpus Christianorum, Lingua Patrum 1. Turnhout 1989.

Aimed to be complete (through 1985), not critical. Coverage, topically organized, includes literature and culture, as well as language, style, vocabulary, and dictionaries.

Veikko Väänänen. Introduction au latin vulgaire. 3rd ed. Paris 1981.

The basic handbook for postclassical linguistic developments. Contains a small anthology of texts with linguistic commentary; bibliography.