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LatinNow
LatinNow
This is an interdisciplinary project linking sociolinguistics,
archaeology and ancient cultural history. Dramatic changes occurred
linguistically in the north-western Roman Empire: a patchwork of local
languages which existed in the Iron Age had been all but replaced by
Latin as the dominant language by the end of the imperial period.
Precisely how, when and why this change occurred, and how it relates to
other social phenomena, remains an underexplored topic central to the
Roman world and requires investigation which is only possible through an
analysis cutting across provincial boundaries, and those between the
Iron Age, Roman and early medieval periods, and reaching beyond Classics
to modern sociolinguistics and Germanic, Celtic and Palaeo-hispanic
studies.
LatinNow bridges this gap in our knowledge by employing an
approach which exploits both epigraphic and archaeological material
(writing and writing equipment) and situates the phenomena of
Latinization, literacy, bi- and multilingualism within broader social
developments. Drawing together the developing strands of
sociolinguistics, bilingualism studies, digital epigraphy, and small
finds archaeological investigation into an integrated methodology brings
a fresh perspective, founded on empirical data and supported by
evolving technologies (GIS, EpiDoc, RTI).
LatinNow confronts thorny, large-scale socio-cultural issues
and will contribute to an appreciation of the construction of our
diverse European heritage.
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