Latin Linguistics and Linguistic Theory

Book excerpt: The articles of this collection on Latin linguistics are representative of the kind of research that is currently carried out in the field of linguistics. Most deal with syntax or sentence structure, but they vary with respect to their emphasis on theory or description. They also vary with respect to the grammatical framework with which they are formulated, with some preponderance of transformational generative approaches. All papers are well-informed about the major developments in contemporary linguistics and make extensive use of recent methods and types of argumentation. In the introduction the volume editor briefly reviews the present state of Latin linguistics, starting with a section on the question whether it is possible to conduct up-to-date linguistic research for Latin at all. To be followed by a brief sketch of the impact of recent linguistic theories on Latin linguistics in general, and in a final third section an outline is presented of the possible interest the contributions to this volume may have for linguists working on languages other than Latin