Draft of Lexical Evolution from Latin to
Lexical Evolution from Latin to Proto-Romance
Overview
This discussion outlines the major linguistic changes from Classical Latin to Proto-Romance, focusing on regularization, semantic drift, loss of short forms, coinages, and borrowing. Each of these phenomena contributes to the transformation of the lexicon, moving from a classical to a more colloquial form that seeds the diverse Romance languages spoken today.
Goals
- Understand and document the lexical evolution from Classical Latin to Proto-Romance.
- Create resources that facilitate learning of Romantic languages through historical linguistic context.
- Promote the appreciation of linguistic diversity and evolution within Romance languages.
Tasks
- Analyze the regularization of nouns and verbs, identifying major patterns and examples.
- Document instances of semantic drift and their impact on modern Romance languages.
- Examine the loss of Classical Latin short forms and their replacement in Proto-Romance.
- Research the formation and adoption of new compound prepositions and verb-forming suffixes.
- Collate the borrowed terms from Greek, Gaulish, and Germanic, highlighting their areas of influence.
- Create a comparative list of words detailing their evolution from Classical Latin to their forms in various Romance languages.
- Develop educational materials based on the findings to support linguistic studies.
Timeline
- Month 1-3: Initial research and documentation of lexical changes.
- Month 4-6: Analysis and comparison with modern Romance languages.
- Month 7-8: Development of educational materials.
- Month 9: Review and adjustment based on linguist feedback.
- Month 10-12: Publication and distribution of findings and resources.
Resources
- Linguistic databases and lexicons of Classical Latin and Proto-Romance languages.
- Academic papers and research on the evolution of Romance languages.
- Software tools for linguistic analysis and comparison.
- Educational platforms for material dissemination.
Responsibilities
- Project Manager: Oversee project progress and ensure adherence to timeline.
- Linguistic Researchers: Conduct detailed analysis and documentation of lexical changes.
- Educational Material Developers: Create learning resources based on research findings.
- Linguists: Provide expert feedback and suggestions for improvement.