Ferriss-Hill_Varro's intuition of Cognate Relationship

Varro's Intuition of Cognate Relationships

Overview

  • Author: Jennifer L. Ferriss-Hill

  • Publication: Illinois Classical Studies, No. 39 (2014)

  • Focuses on Varro's understanding of cognate relationships in De Lingua Latina (DLL).

  • Argues that Varro perceived deeper relationships among languages beyond mere borrowing.

Key Arguments

Cognate Relationships

  • Varro demonstrates an understanding of language regularity.

  • Discusses relationships between Latin, Greek, and Sabellic dialects.

  • Contrary to traditional views, Varro showed awareness of genetic relationships among languages.

  • His observations are significant within the context of his time and intellectual environment.

Comparative Method

  • Analyzes Varro's concepts of analogia (regularity) and anomalia (anomaly).

  • Argues that Varro searched for structural parallels between Latin and Greek, indicating early comparative linguistics.

  • Highlighted how both languages exhibit similarities in grammatical structure.

Varro’s Methodology

Etymology and Language Change

  • Describes linguistic evolution by recognizing dialectal variations.

  • Observes systematic phonetic changes between urban and rural speech.

  • Acknowledges that not all origin of Latin vocabulary is from foreign words.

Use of Figurative Language

  • Utilizes metaphors (e.g., tree and roots) to articulate language relationships.

  • Illustrates the intertwining of language through kinship concepts, emphasizing a shared heritage.

  • Suggests language co-evolves rather than exists in isolation.

Evidence of Cognate Awareness

Formulaic Expressions in DLL

  • Varro employs specific formulas to denote words' origins, distinguishing between loanwords and cognates.

  • Uses terms like cognatio and societas highlighting genetic connections.

  • His categorization of the Latin lexicon into native, foreign, and obscure words reflects an intuition of complex relationships among languages.

Types of Formulaic Expressions

  • Varro categorizes foreign-derived words distinctively compared to cognate pairs.

  • Uses verbs indicating physical movements (e.g., uenit, sumpta) for loanwords, but extends etymologies for cognate pairs, showing depth of connection.

  • Employs relative pronouns and juxtaposition for cognates, emphasizing similarities.

Conclusion

  • Varro’s work in DLL reveals advanced thoughts on linguistic relationships in the context of ancient language studies.

  • His exploration indicates a step toward modern concepts of language families and cognate awareness.

  • Varro's insights suggest significant intellectual progress, positioning him as a precursor to comparative linguistics.