Sermo deorum in Vergil's Aeneid: colloquial Latin?
ISSN: 2194-8747, 2194-8739
Year of publication: 2014
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Pages: 1-39
Type: Article
More publications in: Journal of Latin Linguistics
Abstract
This study focuses on the analysis of the direct speech between divine and human characters in Vergil's Aeneid, with particular emphasis on the presence of features regarded as familiar and colloquial. Given that the Vergilian epic is a genre habitually regarded as an artificial construction and of a style which distances itself from normal, everyday language, this study will seek to confirm whether there is a significant accumulation of features of spoken language in the gods' discourse. The approach of this analysis will be essentially syntactical and in necessary correlation with a pragmatic point of view.