A historical perspective on Latin proleptic accusatives*

1 A historical perspective on Latin proleptic accusatives* Hilla HALLA-AHO (University of Helsinki) 1. INTRODUCTION This article concerns the historical development of the Latin proleptic accusative. This construction has been much discussed, both concerning its syntactic structure and pragmatic conditioning.1 Proleptic accusatives can further be connected to other pragmatically motivated constructions with non-standard case forms (the so-called attractio inversa and thematic constructions).2 In this article I shall address a question that to my knowledge has received little or no attention in previous research. This is the historical perspective on Latin proleptic accusatives. I will offer a preliminary sketch of the use and qualities of this construction throughout its written history in Latin. Futhermore, I raise the question of whether and how the construction changed during this time. As is generally known, proleptic accusatives are attested mainly in the early period (especially in the comedies of Plautus). In the republican period the construction is used by writers who generally favour archaic expressions, most importantly by Varro. In later Latin, although sometimes used by archaists, the construction is also reported to turn up in texts that do not strictly follow the postclassical standard of literary Latin, e.g., the Mulomedicina Chironis. Concerning the historical development of proleptic accusatives, the standard opinion seems to be that they remained a feature of the spoken language throughout Latin history, but were ?hiding‘ behind the literary standard during the classical period.

• latin


• standard opinion


• archaist writers


• hofmann‘s earlier views


• schriftsteller wie


• subjunctive ?


• early latin


• nd person


• proleptic accusatives