12/26/2023 0 Comments English to ancient latinThis movement was especially popular in Rome since Ciceronian language lent the majesty and authority of imperial Rome to the ideology and theology of the Renaissance papacy. This meant that Ciceronians would only use words and constructions found in Cicero's writings. Other humanists, however, were proponents of Ciceronianism, the view that Cicero, considered by many to be the best Latin author of the classical world, should be the model for contemporary Latin usage. Valla, like Desiderius Erasmus (1466? –1536), never advocated a slavish imitation of the classical authors. Lorenzo Valla's (1407 –1457) ambitious Elegantiae linguae latinae libri sex (printed 1471 Six books of the elegances of the Latin language) was a widely circulated work that proposed such reforms. Many expressed their concern that an emphasis on the beauty of pagan classical Latin would corrupt the church and its theology. Medieval Latin was considered by many humanists to be barbarous in comparison with the elegance of classical Latin. Efforts were made by humanist scholars to stress the importance of classical Roman authors, particularly Cicero, Virgil, and Horace, as models for their own writings. Meaning over the centuries, some of the grammatical rules had been altered, vernacular words had crept in, and spelling and pronunciation were inconsistent. New words had filtered their way into the language to meet the needs of political, ecclesiastical, and academic institutions, which were almost entirely medieval products. Medieval Latin, however, differed considerably from the language spoken within the Roman Empire. Latin remained a living language throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period. University courses were taught in Latin, scholars wrote in Latin, and most official correspondence was conducted in Latin. It was, above all, the language of the educated and governing classes. It was the international language used to conduct the day-to-day business of church and state. Knowledge of Latin was a sign of social prestige. Latin continued to be taught, studied, and even spoken in the early modern period.
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