To hear the sound of the Latin language: about Roman grammarians in the context of an outline of the history of linguistics by Adam Heinz
To hear the sound of the Latin language: about Roman grammarians in the context of an outline of the history of linguistics by Adam Heinz

Summary/Abstract: In the context of An Outline of the history of linguistics by Adam Heinz, the author mentions and comments upon the views of Roman grammarians (Priscianus, Velius Longus, Flavius Caper, Servius) and other ancient authors (M. F. Quintilianus, A. Gellius) which enable us to learn specific details about the phonic realisation of classical Latin. The statements that are analysed concern the velar allophone of the front nasal /n/ in the position before velar stops, the attenuation of articulation (reduction) of the voiceless velar spirant /h/, the attenuation of the postvocalic nasal /n/ before the fricatives /s/ and /f/ and of the postvocalic /m/ in the word-final position, as well as the lengthened articulation of the intervocalic glide. In the final part of the article the author mentions the testimonies of grammarians which refer to the ways of accentuation of Latin compounds with enclitics and proclitics.

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