Description

This book is an English version of two series of highly acclaimed introductory lectures given by the great Swiss linguist and classical philologist Jacob Wackernagel (1853-1938) at the University of Basle in 1918-19 on aspects of Greek, Latin, and German as languages. Out of print in German since 1996, these lectures remain the best available introduction, in any language, not only to Greek, Latin, and comparative syntax but also to many topics in the history and pre-history of Greek and Latin, and their relations with other languages. Other subjects, such as the history of grammatical terminology, are also brilliantly dealt with. This new edition supplements the German original by providing a translation of all quotations and examples, a large number of detailed footnotes offering background information and suggestions for further reading, and a single bibliography which brings together Wackernagel's references and those added in the notes.

Features

• Offers a clear and idiomatic English translation of a seminal German work
• Explains and amplifies Wackernagel's comments and assumptions, and updates the scholarship where appropriate
• Provides background information and suggestions for further reading on relevant topics, above all in the history and linguistics of Greek and Latin

Reviews

"[T]he arguments are presented and their lively elegant style have ensured that Wackernagel's 'Lectures' are still essential for anyone interested in Greek and Latin linguistics.... The book reviewed here presents, above all, a masterful translation from German into English of these 'Lectures'.... Langslow's re?edition of Wackernagel's 'Lectures' is a great success. The book is beautifully produced.... More importantly, the publication ensures that one of the 'Classics' of Greek and Latin linguistics remains readily available."--Andreas Willi, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Product Details

960 pages; ISBN13: 978-0-19-815302-3ISBN10: 0-19-815302-3

About the Author(s)