Latin note

Random language note while I’m thinking of it…

Sherri Olson’s books on medieval England are full of quotes from village documents, always including both the actual text and the modern version. The court rolls were mostly in Latin, and church services were also in Latin. Villagers took part in the courts often, monthly in some places. Court was part of life, and self-government was part of life. Everyone had some role in the court rituals, as complainer or offender or juror.

The Latin in the court records was strictly classical, not greatly changed since Caesar’s time. Church was the same. The classical forms are distinctly different from the simplified grammar and altered phonetics of the Latinate countries like France. Especially notable since these villages** were a long way from urban centers, and the scribes were usually regular villagers.

Modern English is also full of Latin. It could be called a pidgin, with Latin words riding in an old Germanic carriage. Our Latin words are closer to classical than French. We picked up some isolated words from the Norman invasion but we didn’t pick up the French ways of modifying Latin.

Now I see why. Long before Shakespeare the classical forms were infusing directly into English without passing through the French filter. The words weren’t brought in by Oxford scholars, they were just part of peasant life.

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** Olson focuses on just two villages, Upwood and Ellington in Huntingdon. Both are still there and look prosperous now. Googlemap shows a few Victorian-era buildings, mostly modern, all harmonious. Some streets are named after families who were mentioned in the books. 700 years isn’t a long time in Europe!

Another distinction catches my eye. American small towns were competing to be the next NYC, with gridded streets, narrow lots and densely packed downtowns. The form wasn’t appropriate for a small town lifestyle where everyone does a little of everything. Gardening, business, governing. Upwood and Ellington were NOT competing to be London. Their layout was appropriate to their function, with no distinct downtown and enough space for gardening and business. TVA was trying to accomplish the same goal with its new towns like Norris.