Living Latin (1880 - c. 2000): ideology and identity

Abstract

The thesis explores the so-called Living Latin movement, which believes that Latin should recover at least some of its communicational function and that the active use of it in communication and in teaching is worthwhile. The beginning of this ongoing movement is seen in the end of the 19th century, when the first general-purpose journals advocating for Latin as an international language appeared. The cultural roots of the value of speaking Latin are explored from the Renaissance, revealing an ever-present tension in the Latin tradition where on the one hand the language was used for many communicational aims, but on the other hand the authority of the classical models and the concern for the purity of the language encouraged a caution in the use of the language. The cultural and historical contexts giving rise to this movement are explored. In case of the end of the 19th century, one of the primary factors was the ever-present discussion of the international language question; among the other factors, the contemporary movement for reforming the teaching of the (modern) languages away from the grammar-translation method also played a role. In the Interwar period the different cultural environments are explored, concentrating on the case of Fascist Italy, which had an ambition to restore the international use of Latin. In the post-World War II Europe, the emerging new world order and the European integration movement contributed to another attempt of Latin universalism, when official organisations were formed aiming to make Latin an international language: Vita Latina and Academia Latinitati Fovendae. After exploring some of their internal politics and the changing position of Latin in the world, I turn to the so-called Enthusiast Latin movement, which, while the institutional positions of Latin were deteriorating worldwide, has been persevering in using Latin as an alternative supranational language and expanding its use to new fields (e.g., immersive summer schools; radio news; today the Internet). Taken together, these movements embody a particular conviction in the continuing vitality and universality of Latin, presenting themselves as an authentic continuation of the perennial Latin tradition reconciled with modernity. The study shows that the Living Latin movement has been both a product of the times (starting from the particular milieu of the end of the 19th century) and a continuation of certain tendencies in the Latin tradition since the Renaissance, all driven by a conviction in the universality of Latin capable of uniting the learned of today both between themselves and with the thinkers of the past.

Date of Award	31 Dec 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Tom Phillips (Supervisor) & Christian Laes (Supervisor)