How dead languages work
(Book)

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Published
Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2020.
Edition
First edition.
Status
Rapid City Public Library - Language - Adult
LANGUAGE 415 GEO
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Published
Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2020.
Format
Book
Edition
First edition.
Physical Desc
viii, 224 pages ; 24 cm
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
What could Greek poets or Roman historians say in their own language that would be lost in translation? After all, different languages have different personalities, and this is especially clear with languages of the ancient and medieval world. This volume celebrates six such languages - Ancient Greek, Latin, Old English, Sanskrit, Old Irish, and Biblical Hebrew - by first introducing readers to their most distinctive features, then showing how these linguistic traits play out in short excerpts from actual ancient texts. It explores, for instance, how Homer's Greek shows signs of oral composition, how Horace achieves striking poetic effects through interlaced word order in his Latin, and how the poet of Beowulf attains remarkable intensity of expression through the resources of Old English. But these are languages that have shared connections as well. Readers will see how the Sanskrit of the Rig Veda uses words that come from roots found also in English, how turns of phrase characteristic of the Hebrew Bible found their way into English, and that even as unusual a language as Old Irish still builds on common Indo-European linguistic patterns. Very few people have the opportunity to learn these languages, and they can often seem mysterious and inaccessible: drawing on a lucid and engaging writing style and with the aid of clear English translations throughout, this book aims to give all readers, whether scholars, students, or interested novices, an aesthetic appreciation of just how rich and varied they are.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

George, C. H. (2020). How dead languages work (First edition.). Oxford University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

George, Coulter H., 1976-. 2020. How Dead Languages Work. Oxford University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

George, Coulter H., 1976-. How Dead Languages Work Oxford University Press, 2020.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

George, Coulter H. How Dead Languages Work First edition., Oxford University Press, 2020.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.