Latin Alive The Survival of Latin in English and Romance Languages

Cambridge University Press. 2010.

In Latin Alive, Joseph B. Solodow tells the story of how Latin developed into

modern French, Spanish, and Italian, and deeply affected English aswell. Offering a

gripping narrative of language change, Solodow charts Latin’s course fromclassical

times to the modern era, with a focus on the first millennium of the Common

Era. Although the Romance languages evolved directly fromLatin, Solodow shows

how every important feature of Latin’s nature and development is also reflected

in English. His story includes scores of intriguing etymologies, along with many

concrete examples of texts and studies, scholars, anecdotes and historical events,

observations on language, and more. Written with crystalline clarity, this is the

first book to tell the story of the Romance languages for the general reader and to

illustrate so amply Latin’s many-sided survival in English as well.