What's the current status of the debate regarding the origin of Latin and the Etruscan language? I remember there being some thought given to the idea that Latin was an Etruscan dialect (and that Rome began as an Etruscan colony).
It certainly didn't begin as a Trojan colony that's for sure :^)
I bring this up because I know that even the "Latins" were a distinct language group from the original language of the Romans themselves - so was that language Etruscan which evolved into Latin through assimilation/contact with the Latin tribes of the area?
It certainly didn't begin as a Trojan colony that's for sure :^)
I bring this up because I know that even the "Latins" were a distinct language group from the original language of the Romans themselves - so was that language Etruscan which evolved into Latin through assimilation/contact with the Latin tribes of the area?
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Milwaukee
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Re: Latin and Etruscan
Fri, January 21, 2005 - 7:13 AMThere is really no genetic link between Latin and Etruscan that professional historical linguists recognize. Latin does have some Etruscan loanwords. Latin is what is called an Indo-European language (in the Italic sub-family), along with Oscan, Umbrian, and Faliscan. Etruscan is pretty much an isolate. It does not seem to be related to any other language presently known. The Romans did borrow a lot of culture from the Etruscans.
Here are some links:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_language
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo..._languages
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italic_languages
users.tpg.com.au/etr/etrusk/default.html
The latter shows the Liber Linteus which is the longest, nearly complete text. -
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Re: Latin and Etruscan
Tue, January 25, 2005 - 12:31 AMSome lovely links there jheem - thank you.
Wikipedia is getting rather well-endowed - I haven't been there for a while.
Nothing makes me angrier than the action in the last line of this paragraph:
"Livy and Cicero were both aware that highly-specialized Etruscan religious rites were codified in several sets of books under the generic Latin title Etrusca Disciplina. The Libri Haruspicini dealt with divination from the entrails of the sacrificed animal, the Libri Fulgurales expounded the art of divination by observing lightning. A third set, the Libri Rituales, would have provided us with the key to Etruscan civilization: its wider scope embraced Etruscan standards of social and political life as well as ritual practices. According to the 4th century Latin writer Servius, a fourth set of Etruscan books existed, dealing with animal gods. The Christian authorities collected these works of paganism and burnt them during the 5th century."
Meka. -
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Re: Latin and Etruscan
Wed, January 26, 2005 - 6:07 AMYou're welcome, Meka. It's a pity about the books. Ironically, the best collection of Mithraic statuary is in the Vatican. -
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Re: Latin and Etruscan
Sun, February 12, 2006 - 12:23 AMtrue, lol!
Consider that the first teachers and doctors, not to say Roman kings, were Etruscans...
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Re: Latin and Etruscan
Wed, January 26, 2005 - 2:29 AMI just bought "Etruscan Language" by the Bonfante's - i am going to try to learn it if it's learnable...anyone here speak it or have good knowledge of it?
Meka -
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Re: Latin and Etruscan
Wed, January 26, 2005 - 6:10 AMI had a vision of an Etruscan haruspex coming to Rome and having learning foreign language like dialogues with other citizens. How does one say: "Excuse me, where is the Pantheon?" in Etruscan ... -
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Re: Latin and Etruscan
Wed, January 26, 2005 - 11:12 AM"It does not seem to be related to any other language presently known."
Did some digging, there seems to be some thought that it might be related to Basque...thus un-orphaning two languages. But that's not my conclusion, just something i read recently - i'll try and find the link. -
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Re: Latin and Etruscan
Wed, January 26, 2005 - 11:33 AM"thus un-orphaning two languages"
Yes, language isolates (e.g., Sumerian, Basque, Etruscan) are perennial candidates for the grand marrying up, kooky armchair linguists. Some of the problems involved in trying to relate them are: (1) the great difference in age between extant texts, about 2K years, and (2) the lack of historical-comparative linguistics skills of the people doing the equating.
See www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/la...tory.html
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