Noun Phrase in Classical Latin Prose

Olga Spevak, Ph.D. Paris IV-Sorbonne University (2001), is Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Toulouse 2, France. She has published many articles on syntax and word order in Latin. She is the author of the much acclaimed book Constituent Order in Classical Latin Prose (John Benjamins, 2010).

"On the whole this is an excellent volume, and Latinists can be thankful that a thorough, sophisticated, and state-of-the-art study of noun phrases is now available. The subject is complex, and the explanation is equally so. This volume is not, nor does it claim to be the final word on all aspects of the noun phrase in Latin, but Spevak has provided us with elevated parameters, a wealth of data, and so many specific questions to pursue that scholars are positioned to make great advances in the decades to come." Patrick McFadden, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2014.11.34.

• ContentsPREFACEABBREVIATIONSCHAPTER 1 THE NOUN AND ITS MODIFIERS1. Introduction2. The noun2.1. Parameters for a description of nouns2.2. Specific – generic – referential2.3. The typology of nouns2.4. Noun valency3. Modifiers3.1. The types of modifiers3.2. The frequency of modifiers3.3. The typology of modifiers and hierarchic levels3.4. Determiners, quantifiers, and identifiers3.5. Adjectives3.6. Genitive complements3.7. Dative, ablative, and accusative complements3.8. Prepositional phrases3.9. Embedded predications4. ConclusionsCHAPTER 2 THE NOUN PHRASE1. Introduction1.1. Pragmatic functions of noun phrases and their components1.2. Values of modifiers1.3. The referent1.4. Special arrangements1.5. The placement of modifiers: problems of analysis1.6. An overview of the nouns examined2. Quantifying a referent2.1. Count nouns2.2. Non-count nouns3. Specifying a referent3.1. Classifying adjectives3.2. Adjectives derived from proper names4. Describing a referent4.1. Inanimate concrete entities4.2. Animate entities5. Evaluating a referent5.1. Attribution of an abstract quality5.2. Evaluations of extent or importance6. Identifying a referent6.1. Adjectives expressing a relative position6.2. Ordinal numerals7. Expressions of possession7.1. Adjectives derived from proper names7.2. Possessive genitives8. Valency complements8.1. Subjective and objective genitives8.2. Possessive pronouns8.3. Prepositional phrases with cum8.4. Prepositional phrases with de8.5. Completive clauses9. Other complements9.1. Genitives with dies and liber9.2. Prepositional phrases with de10. Complex noun phrases10.1. Framing of noun phrases10.2. Memoria and opinio11. ConclusionsCHAPTER 3 THE PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE1. Objective2. Prepositional phrases: the ordering of their components2.1. Integration of modifiers and framing2.2. The method2.3. Quantifiers2.4. Adjectives2.5. Multiple modifiers2.6. Genitive complements3. Adnominal prepositional phrases3.1. Problems of attachment3.2. Nouns governing prepositional phrases3.3. Adjectives governing prepositional phrases3.4. Partitive expressions4. ConclusionsCHAPTER 4 APPOSITIONS1. Introduction2. Two types of apposition: close apposition and free apposition2.1. First overview2.2. Close appositions2.3. Free appositions2.4. Problems with the description of appositions2.5. Sp. Albinus consul vs. consul Albinus2.6. Distribution of appositions in a sample3. Close appositions3.1. Appositions with consul and praetor3.2. Appositions with urbs and oppidum3.3. Appositions with flumen / fluvius3.4. Agreement4. Free appositions4.1. General properties4.2. Free appositions with official functions4.3. Free appositions with urbs, oppidum, and flumen4.4. Free appositions with homo and familiaris4.5. Agreement4.6. The use of prepositions in free appositions4.7. Discontinuity5. Other appositions5.1. Kinship nouns5.2. Rex5.3. Status and activity5.4. Two common nouns5.5. Explicit indicators of appositions6. Right dislocation (Tail constituents)6.1. Tail constituents related to a noun or a pronoun6.2. Right dislocated constituents expressing subjective evaluation7. ConclusionsCHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONSAPPENDIXREFERENCESGLOSSARY OF LINGUISTIC TERMSINDEX