These are both marvelous books. Palmer provides an excellent overview in the development of Latin. It is a permanent reference work in my library. Palmer has written a similar work on Greek which I recommend as well.Are you familiar with these two books:
L. R. Palmer, The Latin Language.
D. Reynolds - N. G. Wilson, Scribes and Scholars. A Guide to the Transmission of Greek and Latin Literature (4. edition 2013).
What do you think about them?
It's a very different from the other two. Based on Eleanor Dickey's review, I would not buy it.Instead of Palmer I have been thinking about reading "Vulgar Latin" by József Herman and Roger Wright. It is published by Pensylvania State University Press in 2000. What do you think?
These books hardly have anything in common beyond being about Latin; I haven't read Palmer because no scan seems to be found online (only OCRd epub derivatives), but Vulgar Latin I have read the whole of, and it's the perfect introduction to the topic of non-literary Latin. The only problem with it is the perpetuation of the use of that horrendous term that inevitably exists in all of its 20 different definitions in the heads of those who try to write about it. Among replacements for Palmer my favourite is Lindsay's 1894 namesake The Latin Language; for something fresher try Clackson's and Horrocks' The Blackwell History of the Latin Language - I personally find it too halfway between being readable and thorough.Instead of Palmer I have been thinking about reading "Vulgar Latin" by József Herman and Roger Wright. It is published by Pensylvania State University Press in 2000. What do you think?
Akshully it exists right here, and I haven't read it because it was too intro-level when I first came across it. It's probably the most general overview of all, with the comparative-historical part being, it seems, an extreme condensation of the aforementioned Lindsay; this makes it a good match for Herman's Vulgar Latin. The Blackwell History would be its modernized and substantially beefed up replacement (but I still don't like it).I haven't read Palmer because no scan seems to be found online (only OCRd epub derivatives)
I think that I will read Scribes and Scholars because it is interested to see how Latin has been studied and transmitted. I am especially interested in how it was during the Middle ages. Secondly I think the Vulgar Latin book is interesting as it deels with "non-literary Latin" as that has been less dealt with by me. Thank you for your comments. I think I might already today go and borrow those two books.These books hardly have anything in common beyond being about Latin; I haven't read Palmer because no scan seems to be found online (only OCRd epub derivatives), but Vulgar Latin I have read the whole of, and it's the perfect introduction to the topic of non-literary Latin. The only problem with it is the perpetuation of the use of that horrendous term that inevitably exists in all of its 20 different definitions in the heads of those who try to write about it. Among replacements for Palmer my favourite is Lindsay's 1894 namesake The Latin Language; for something fresher try Clackson's and Horrocks' The Blackwell History of the Latin Language - I personally find it too halfway between being readable and thorough.