Romance Languages
A Historical Introduction
- Authors:
- Ti Alkire, Cornell University, New York
- Carol Rosen, Cornell University, New York
- Date Published: July 2010
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521717847
Paperback
Other available formats:
Hardback, eBook
Looking for an examination copy?
This title is not currently available for examination. However, if you are interested in the title for your course we can consider offering an examination copy. To register your interest please contact [email protected] providing details of the course you are teaching.
-
Ti Alkire and Carol Rosen trace the changes that led from colloquial Latin to five major Romance languages, those which ultimately became national or transnational languages: Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. Trends in spoken Latin altered or dismantled older categories in phonology and morphology, while the regional varieties of speech, evolving under diverse influences, formed new grammatical patterns, each creating its own internal regularities. Documentary sources for spoken Latin show the beginnings of this process, which comes to full fruition in the medieval emergence of written Romance languages. This book newly distills the facts into an appealing program of study, including exercises, and makes the difficult issues clear, taking well motivated and sometimes innovative stands. It provides not only an essential guide for those new to the topic, but also a reliable compendium for the specialist.
Read more- Balances a more technical approach with a discursive treatment of relevant historical circumstances, the contact languages and their influence
- Each chapter contains exercises for readers to practise and consolidate knowledge
- Contains etymological information linking English words to Romance languages
Reviews & endorsements
'This attractive textbook is a great opportunity to bring the unique historical and typological richness of the Romance languages to today's students of language and linguistics and empower them to continue its exploration on their own. In its carefully gradated approach at complex issues of phonology and morphology, the authors provide readers with an analytical in-depth investigation of the diachronic developments in Spanish, French, and Italian, complemented by coherent sketches of Portuguese and Romanian. The book sets a new standard for focus, relevance, and accuracy of data as well as broadly informed and open-minded assessment of competing explanations offered in the literature. Readers who work their way through the book will come away from it with a structured picture of this fascinating language family spanning 2000 years of varying divergence and convergence.' Dieter Wanner, The Ohio State University
See more reviews'A user-friendly and straightforward approach to the topic, which cuts through much of the excessive and dense detail of traditional treatments.' Adam Ledgeway, University of Cambridge
Customer reviews
Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: July 2010
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521717847
- length: 388 pages
- dimensions: 245 x 174 x 20 mm
- weight: 0.71kg
- contains: 2 b/w illus. 32 tables
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The evolution of stressed vowels
2. Early changes in syllable structure and consonants
3. Consonant weakening and strengthening
4. New palatal consonants
5. More about vowels: raising, yod effects, and nasalization
6. Verb morphology: the present indicative
7. Verb morphology: systemic reorganization
8. Noun and adjective morphology
9. History and structure of Portuguese: an overview
10. History and structure of Romanian: an overview
11. Formation of the Romance lexicon
12. Emergence of the Romance vernaculars
Suggestions for further reading
Works cited
Index of topics.-
Instructor Resources
Find resources associated with this title
Type Name Unlocked * Format Size Showing of
This title is supported by one or more locked resources. Access to locked resources is granted exclusively by Cambridge University Press to instructors whose faculty status has been verified. To gain access to locked resources, instructors should sign in to or register for a Cambridge user account.
Please use locked resources responsibly and exercise your professional discretion when choosing how you share these materials with your students. Other instructors may wish to use locked resources for assessment purposes and their usefulness is undermined when the source files (for example, solution manuals or test banks) are shared online or via social networks.
Supplementary resources are subject to copyright. Instructors are permitted to view, print or download these resources for use in their teaching, but may not change them or use them for commercial gain.
If you are having problems accessing these resources please contact [email protected].
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email [email protected]
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×