Per peccatum cecidit diabolo faciente: On the causal/instrumental uses of “faciente + (pro)noun” in imperial and late Latin

This present paper is concerned with the causal/instrumental uses of faciente + (pro)nominal head within an ablative absolute. We only examine the instances in which the participle does not govern a direct object and is not accompanied by further arguments and/or satellites, as in Jer. In psalm. 89 l. 28 qui per peccatum cecidit, diabolo faciente, rursum per Christum resurgat ad gloriam (“he who fell through sin under devil’s influence, shall soon be reborn to the Glory through Christ”). The analysis is restricted to the imperial and late period because the construction is not attested until Ovid (Met. 2, 540–541 lingua faciente loquaci / qui color albus erat, nunc est contrarius albo “through his tongue’s fault the talking bird, which was white, was now the opposite of white”, transl. Loeb). The discussion consists of four main sections. After a short survey of the main studies on the topic, we introduce the analysed corpora, the selection criteria of the data and the overall results. In section 5 we discuss some possible reasons behind the origin of the syntagm. Subsequently, the use and expansion of the syntagm in later centuries is analysed in the light of recent studies on the reanalysis of participles as prepositions. We show that faciente began a categorial shift into the class of causal/instrumental prepositions, but for reasons that shall be explained, this process remained unaccomplished. In the last section, we make a brief comparison with other absolute ablatives that include semantically related participles (operante, instigante, praestante), pointing out the main differences between them

Tre note ai Getica

Discussion of three passages of the Getic

On the use of the ablative of the gerund and the nominative of the present participle in Latin technical literature

International audienceIn Latin, the gerund and the present participle often function as the predicate of an adjunct clause. In Late Latin, the frequency of such clauses is hypothesized to increase with the ablative of the gerund and to decrease with the nominative of the present participle. This evolution leads to the "gradual replacement of the present participle by the gerund" (Pinkster 2015: 549), whereby the former is ousted from its verbal function and confined to a purely adjectival role. This process is triggered by the "semantic bleaching" of the gerund, whose original manner/instrumental value gradually "weakens" into the default value of the present participle, viz. a temporal one. This paper aims to investigate the functional competition between the two clause types in a corpus of technical texts between the 2 nd c. BC and the 6 th c. AD. We show that the semantic bleaching of the gerund is not significant in our corpus and hence does not confirm its functional competition with the present participle. We argue that the two clause types have different semantic and pragmatic properties and that these differences remain stable over time

Considerazioni semantiche e stilistiche sull'uso di 'coepi' + infinito

This paper focuses on the use of coepi + infmitive in Latin prose. According to a common view, coepi has often displayed, since republican times, a weakening of its inceptive force (hence, coepit dicere = dixit). This feature is normally associated with low or colloquial registers, but the matter has not been adequately investigated. We will show that, barring a few cases in Petronius and perhaps in Caesar's followers, the desemanticization of coepi does not spread until the 3rd century AD. No certain continuity can thus be established between those late Imperial instances that reveal a patent bleaching of coepi and the republican uses, in which it generally retains its force. Additionally, the construction itself does not appear to be stylistically marked, for it also occurs in high-style Latin, and the arguments advanced in favour of its sub-standard nature are not compelling. However, the high frequency of coepi and, in particular, its tendency to occur in clusters are undoubtedly characteristics of more mundane prose

On so-called adversative nisi

This paper is concerned with certain semantic and pragmatic properties of the Latin connector nisi. The discussion is structured in three sections. The first gives a short introduction on the main functions of nisi identified in scholarship. The second offers a diachronic overview of its uses, based on selected literary sources, from Plautus up to Late Latinity. The third focusses specifically on the adversative value of the conjunction. Here we show, among other things, the existence of two different types of adversativity which can be traced back to the two standard functions of nisi. The main results are summarized in a concluding paragraph

Aspects du bilinguisme gréco-latin dans la province de Mésie inférieure

In this paper I will present some result of a morphosyntactical study of the language of the inscriptions discovered in Lower Moesia. Specifically I will focus my attention on the Scythia Minor region located on the northeast side of the province, in the area between Callatis and Noviodonum. The analysis is based on the Greek and Latin epigraphs collected in the four volumes of the Inscriptiones Daciae et Scythiae Minoris antiquae (ed. Pippidi-Russu, vol. 1, 2, 3, 5). I have distinguished five categories of texts: a) decrees and official letters, b) other official inscriptions (honorific monuments, milestones, etc.), c) religious inscriptions, d) epitaphs, e) uncertain inscriptions and graffiti. The analysis of the Greek epigraphs reveals a substantial stability of the language, which results from the clear Greek background of the territory, whereas the Latin documents show a high frequency of substandard variations in the morphological and syntactical domain (as compared to the other eastern provinces), a phenomenon which reflects a poor linguistic competence of the speakers.Dans cette communication, je me propose de présenter les résultats d’une étude morphosyntaxique basée sur la langue des inscriptions découvertes en Mésie inférieure. Je me concentrerai, en particulier, sur la région de la Scythie mineure, située sur le côté Nord-Est de la province, entre Callatis et Noviodonum. Mon analyse se fonde sur les inscriptions grecques et latines recueillies dans les quatre volumes des Inscriptiones Scythiae Minoris antiquae (ed. Pippidi-Russu, vol. 1, 2, 3 et 5). J’ai distingué cinq catégories de textes : a) les décrets et les lettres officielles, b) les autres inscriptions officielles (les monuments honorifiques, les milliaires, etc.) et les dédicaces à l’empereur, c) les inscriptions religieuses, d) les épitaphes, e) les inscriptions de nature incertaine ainsi que les graffiti. L’étude des inscriptions grecques révèle un état de langue correct et stable, démontrant ainsi la profonde pénétration du grec dans le territoire. En revanche, les documents latins sont caractérisés par de nombreuses variations dans le domaine morphologique et syntaxique en comparaison avec les autres provinces orientales, ce qui indique une très faible maîtrise de la langue par les locuteurs.Galdi Giovanbattista. Aspects du bilinguisme gréco-latin dans la province de Mésie inférieure. In: Bilinguisme gréco-latin et épigraphie. Actes du colloque organisé à l'Université Lumière-Lyon 2, Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée-Jean Pouilloux, UMR 5189 Hisoma et JE 2409 Romanitas les 17, 18 et 19 mai 2004. Lyon : Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée Jean Pouilloux, 2008. pp. 141-154. (Collection de la Maison de l'Orient méditerranéen. Série épigraphique, 37