May 2021 – Danny L. Bate

Grave Language: The Epitaph of Lucius Cornelius Scipio

Tombs can make linguists very happy. In the effort to commemorate and praise the deceased, many places of interment include written text, known as epitaphs (from Greek epí ‘on’ and táphos ‘tomb’). Being inscribed in stone, these samples of language survive very well and can offer a much-appreciated window into an era of a languageContinue reading “Grave Language: The Epitaph of Lucius Cornelius Scipio”

Latin’s Nasal Infix: A How-to Guide

How are painting and picture related English words? Why does Latin vincō ‘I win’ become vīcī in the past tense? How did the same Latin verb give English both convince and conviction? This blog post is my guide the wonderful world of the nasal infix, a linguistic phenomenon that comes in very handy for peopleContinue reading “Latin’s Nasal Infix: A How-to Guide”