Latin linguistics and linguistic theory Ed. by Harm Pinkster (review)

986 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 60, NUMBER 4 (1984) Valla, Linacre, Scaliger, and Ramus, as well as of grammarians from the Judaeo-Arabic tradition in Spain. Part Two offers a lucid synopsis of S's grammar . The section consists offour chapters treating (a) parts of speech, (b) the syntax of nouns, (c) declensions of verbs and particles, and (d) figurative syntax and semantics. Throughout, BC does more than summarize: he interprets the significant aspects of the grammar, he contrasts S's approaches with those of his sources, and he refers to the secondary material dealing with the pertinent issues presented in the Minerva. Since grammarians prior to the late 19th century never wrote explicit descriptions of their philosophical assumptions, BC distills S's philosophy of language from the text of the JIf/nerva . S argued that language flowed from reason and logic, and that language was natural because it reflected nature. The function of the grammarian was to discover and express the laws of language in logical rules. Thus S's intention was 'to uncover the origins and logical structures ..., i.e. "ideal" forms, as well as the internal rules and principles ... of the Latin language ' (201). Since he was interested in universal as well as particular rules, the Minerva was more than a Latin grammar: S attempted to develop a sentence-based grammar from an understanding of the conceptual structure of the mind. BCs book is the result of quality historical scholarship. The documentation is never perfunctory : each part contributes to a reasonably argued whole. BC places S in his intellectual milieu by carefully drawing an accurate historical context. He resists all temptations to force modern linguistic terminology into Sanctius' grammar, or to justify the Minerva only to the degree that it resembles or foreshadows 20th century linguistic theory. [Joseph L. Subbiondo , Santa Clara University.] Latin linguistics and linguistic theory. Ed. by Harm Pinkster. (Studies in language, companion series, 11.) Amsterdam & Philadelphia: Benjamins , 1983. Pp. xviii, 307. This volume is ofparticular interest, states its editor (xv), not because of any addition to factual knowledge of Latin for the non-theoretical linguist, but because of the application of a variety of new methods to the study of this frequently neglected language. The papers were presented at the 1st International Colloquium on Latin Linguistics, held in Amsterdam in April 1981. They approach the language from a variety ofdirections—mainly syntax, but also text structure, morphology/phonology, semantics, and language acquisition. The last category alone would indicate the special interest the conference had for linguists, since Latin is not often the focus of second-language acquisition studies. Apart from the section on syntax, no part of the volume (and thus of the conference) has more than two articles; semantics, text structure , and what is labeled 'method' have only one each. The last category (an article on 'Kompetenz in der lateinischen Syntax' [pp. 3-8] by R. Pfister) deals with definitions of competence in an area which has no native speakers. There is one article on text structure, 'Conversation openings in the comedies of Plautus' by M. E. Hoffman, and one on semantics, an analysis of indefinite pronouns by A. Orlandini. The morphology /phonology section contains an autosegmental approach to degemination (O. S. PiIlinger ) and a phonemic/semantic categorization of tense morphemes in the verbal system (C. Touratier). The substantial chapter on 'Sentence structure ' includes thirteen papers devoted to Latin syntax. The predominant theory represented here is that ofGovernment and Binding, applied to anaphoric relations (Bertocchi and Casadio), the development of Latin case (Calboli), accusative subjects (Maraldi), and relatives (Maurel ). Another article on case (Carvalho) is presented in a Guillaumean frame, and one on the importance ofthe verb in the Latin sentence (C. Guiraud) is based on the work of Tesnière. The importance of this volume is at least twofold . For Latinists, it is an encouraging presentation ofthat language as a testing-ground and source of data for linguistic theory; the use of one's 'own' language is always a boost to language -specific specialists. For theoreticians, it is a reminder of another language—too often dismissed because of its lack of modern native speakers—which can be a fruitful area ofstudy, again to...