British Romance
Encyclopedia
British Romance, British Vulgar Latin or British Latin are terms used for the Vulgar Latin
spoken in southern Great Britain
(what became England and Wales
) in Late Antiquity
(an era also known in British history as "Sub-Roman").
, who pointed out that "Latin was a living spoken language in Britain under the Empire", used the evidence of loan-words in Welsh and Old Irish to try to diagnose 12 distinct features of British Romance. Jackson's account of this has been disputed by later writers, and the matter of the distinctiveness of British Vulgar Latin is currently unclear.
If it did exist as a distinct dialect group, it has not survived extensively enough for diagnostic features to be detected, despite much new sub-literary Latin being discovered in England in the 20th century.
As late as the eighth century the Saxon inhabitants of St Albans near the Roman city of Verulamium
were aware of their ancient neighbour, which they knew alternatively as Verulamacæstir (or, under what H. R. Loyn
terms "their own hybrid", Vaeclingscæstir, "the fortress of the followers of Wæcla") interpretable as a pocket of Romano-Britons that remained within the Anglo-Saxon countryside, probably speaking their own local neo-Latin
Other evidences are related to Wroxeter (Roman Viroconium Cornoviorum)
and Kent's Rutupiae
has been found a stone with inscriptions that confirm the existence of the British Romance, as a language used after the Roman departure from the British isles in 410 AD.
It was misnamed Arthur stone (it is more properly dubbed the Artognou stone) and was discovered in 1998 in securely dated sixth-century contexts among the ruins at Tintagel Castle
in Cornwall
, a secular, high status settlement of Sub-Roman Britain
. Apparently originally a practice dedication stone for some building or other public structure, it was broken in two and re-used as part of a drain when the original structure was destroyed.
The dating of the stone has been arrived at by two methods: first, the stone came from a securely stratified context in association with imported pottery of known types dating to the fifth/sixth centuries; second, forms of certain letters noted on the slate appear in British inscribed stones from Scotland to Cornwall post-500 and are certainly known elsewhere from 6th century north Cornwall (part of the kingdom of Dumnonia
).
At the top right-hand corner of the fragment is a deeply-cut motif consisting (as visible) of a letter A and another incomplete character on either side of a large diagonal cross; the whole may represent a common Christian symbol, a Christogram
, the Greek alphabet
letters Alpha and Omega flanking a large Roman X, the initial of Christos (Christ). Below this and to the left, but overlapping it slightly, is a smaller, more lightly incised inscription in Latin
, reading: PATERN[--] COLI AVI FICIT ARTOGNOU . This seems to have been repeated lower down and to the right; only the letters COL[.] and FICIT, on two lines, can be seen on the fragment.
The inscription has been translated as "Artognou descendant of Patern[us] Colus made (this). Colus made (this)."
Also found in the sixth-century fort at Tintagel were numerous remains of expensive pottery, glasswork, and coins from Visigothic Spain and the Byzantine Empire
(when excavated in the 1930s by C. A. Ralegh Radford
), implying continued contact with the Mediterranean.
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin is any of the nonstandard forms of Latin from which the Romance languages developed. Because of its nonstandard nature, it had no official orthography. All written works used Classical Latin, with very few exceptions...
spoken in southern Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
(what became England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
) in Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
(an era also known in British history as "Sub-Roman").
Evidence and development
Kenneth H. JacksonKenneth H. Jackson
Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson was an English linguist and a translator who specialised in the Celtic languages. He demonstrated how the text of the Ulster Cycle of tales, written circa AD 1100, preserves an oral tradition originating some six centuries earlier and reflects Celtic Irish society of the...
, who pointed out that "Latin was a living spoken language in Britain under the Empire", used the evidence of loan-words in Welsh and Old Irish to try to diagnose 12 distinct features of British Romance. Jackson's account of this has been disputed by later writers, and the matter of the distinctiveness of British Vulgar Latin is currently unclear.
If it did exist as a distinct dialect group, it has not survived extensively enough for diagnostic features to be detected, despite much new sub-literary Latin being discovered in England in the 20th century.
As late as the eighth century the Saxon inhabitants of St Albans near the Roman city of Verulamium
Verulamium
Verulamium was an ancient town in Roman Britain. It was sited in the southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, Great Britain. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon...
were aware of their ancient neighbour, which they knew alternatively as Verulamacæstir (or, under what H. R. Loyn
H. R. Loyn
Henry Royston Loyn , FBA, was a British historian specialising in the history of Anglo-Saxon England. His eminence in his field made him a natural candidate to run the Sylloge of the Coins of the British Isles, which he chaired from 1979 to 1993.-Works:The Sylloge's natural emphasis is on...
terms "their own hybrid", Vaeclingscæstir, "the fortress of the followers of Wæcla") interpretable as a pocket of Romano-Britons that remained within the Anglo-Saxon countryside, probably speaking their own local neo-Latin
Other evidences are related to Wroxeter (Roman Viroconium Cornoviorum)
and Kent's Rutupiae
Rutupiae
Richborough Castle contains the ruined remains of a Roman Saxon Shore Fort. It situated in Richborough near Sandwich, Kent.The site has many phases of Roman remains, collectively known as Richborough Fort or Richborough Roman Fort, still visible today and under the care of English Heritage.Rutupiæ ...
Evidence from the Arthur stone
At TintagelTintagel
Tintagel is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The population of the parish is 1,820 people, and the area of the parish is ....
has been found a stone with inscriptions that confirm the existence of the British Romance, as a language used after the Roman departure from the British isles in 410 AD.
It was misnamed Arthur stone (it is more properly dubbed the Artognou stone) and was discovered in 1998 in securely dated sixth-century contexts among the ruins at Tintagel Castle
Tintagel Castle
Tintagel Castle is a medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island, adjacent to the village of Tintagel in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The site was possibly occupied in the Romano-British period, due to an array of artefacts dating to this period which have been found on the...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, a secular, high status settlement of Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...
. Apparently originally a practice dedication stone for some building or other public structure, it was broken in two and re-used as part of a drain when the original structure was destroyed.
The dating of the stone has been arrived at by two methods: first, the stone came from a securely stratified context in association with imported pottery of known types dating to the fifth/sixth centuries; second, forms of certain letters noted on the slate appear in British inscribed stones from Scotland to Cornwall post-500 and are certainly known elsewhere from 6th century north Cornwall (part of the kingdom of Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
).
At the top right-hand corner of the fragment is a deeply-cut motif consisting (as visible) of a letter A and another incomplete character on either side of a large diagonal cross; the whole may represent a common Christian symbol, a Christogram
Christogram
A Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbol. Different types of Christograms are associated with the various traditions of Christianity, e.g...
, the Greek alphabet
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
letters Alpha and Omega flanking a large Roman X, the initial of Christos (Christ). Below this and to the left, but overlapping it slightly, is a smaller, more lightly incised inscription in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, reading: PATERN[--] COLI AVI FICIT ARTOGNOU . This seems to have been repeated lower down and to the right; only the letters COL[.] and FICIT, on two lines, can be seen on the fragment.
The inscription has been translated as "Artognou descendant of Patern[us] Colus made (this). Colus made (this)."
Also found in the sixth-century fort at Tintagel were numerous remains of expensive pottery, glasswork, and coins from Visigothic Spain and the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
(when excavated in the 1930s by C. A. Ralegh Radford
Ralegh Radford
Courtenay Arthur Ralegh Radford was an English archaeologist and historian who pioneered the exploration of the Dark Ages of Britain and popularized his findings in many official guides and surveys for the Office of Works...
), implying continued contact with the Mediterranean.
See also
- African RomanceAfrican RomanceAfrican Romance or African Latin is an extinct Romance language that is supposed to have been spoken in the Roman province of Africa during the later Roman and early Byzantine Empires, prior to the annexation of the region by the Umayyad Caliphate in 696...
- Pannonian RomancePannonian RomancePannonian Romance was the Romance language that developed in Pannonia after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It seems to have lasted until the 10th century...
- BrithenigBrithenigBrithenig is an invented language, or constructed language . It was created as a hobby in 1996 by Andrew Smith from New Zealand, who also invented the alternate history of Ill Bethisad to "explain" it....
- Anglo-Norman languageAnglo-Norman languageAnglo-Norman is the name traditionally given to the kind of Old Norman used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman period....
Further reading
- Charles-Edwards, Thomas, "Language and Society among the Insular Celts, AD 400-1000", in M. J. Green (ed.), The Celtic World, ed. (London, 1995), pp. 703–36
- Gratwick, A. S., "Latinitas Britannica: Was British Latin Archaic?", in N. Brooks (ed.) Latin and the Vernacular Languages in Early Medieval Britain, (Leicester 1982), pp. 1–79
- MacManus, D., "Linguarum Diversitas: Latin and the Vernaculars in Early Medieval Britain", Perita 3 (1987), pp. 151–88
- Mann, J. C., "Spoken Latin in Britain as evidenced by the Inscriptions", in Britannia 2 (1971), pp. 218–24
- Shiel, N., "The Coinage of Carausius as a Source of Vulgar Latin", in Britannia 6 (1975), pp. 146–8
- Smith, C., "Vulgar Latin in Roman Britain: Epigraphic and other Evidence", in Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt 2.29.2 (1983), pp. 893–948
- Snyder, Christopher A. 1996. "Sub-Roman Britain (AD 400-600): A Gazetteer of Sites". British Archaeological Reports (BAR) British Series No. 247. Oxford: Tempvs Reparatvm.