The influence of Latin is stronger as one gets closer (either chronologically or geographically) to the historic heart of the Roman Empire. Northern French, Romanian and Portuguese, being farther from Rome, mutated more than Spanish, which mutated more than Catalan, which mutated more than Provençal, which mutated more than Piedmontese, which mutated more than Lombard, which mutated more than Florentine.
The time at which many of these Medieval works were written, whether or not French was pronounced as it was written, most of the letters that later drop out of French were still written: Et si com je gisoie en cel lieu dont vous avés oi parler, si fu entre le joesdi absolu et le venredi beneoit, et si avoie je a Nostre Signour dit le service que on apele tenebres, et lors me prist mout grant volenté de dormir... which in Modern French is translated as: Et tandis que j'étais couché dans cet endroit dont vous venez d'entendre de parler - c'était entre le Jeudi et le Vendredi saints, et j'avais pour Notre Seigneur célébré l'office qu'on appelle Ténèbres - il me prit une fort grande envie de dormir...
The time at which many of these Medieval works were written, whether or not French was pronounced as it was written, most of the letters that later drop out of French were still written: Et si com je gisoie en cel lieu dont vous avés oi parler, si fu entre le joesdi absolu et le venredi beneoit, et si avoie je a Nostre Signour dit le service que on apele tenebres, et lors me prist mout grant volenté de dormir... which in Modern French is translated as: Et tandis que j'étais couché dans cet endroit dont vous venez d'entendre de parler - c'était entre le Jeudi et le Vendredi saints, et j'avais pour Notre Seigneur célébré l'office qu'on appelle Ténèbres - il me prit une fort grande envie de dormir...
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
Trying to decide which of these is the best shared-world writer...
23/12/2012 02:23:35 AM
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I have heard of the Bertrand fella, and the Twelve Paladins but I haven't read any of his works
23/12/2012 02:58:41 AM
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I do intend to read Orlando Furioso (and Gerusalemme Liberata) at some point.
23/12/2012 08:30:03 AM
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What does Gerusalemme Liberata have to do with it?
23/12/2012 02:49:41 PM
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Never had a formal lesson in Italian
23/12/2012 05:17:48 PM
- 707 Views
I actually believe Italian to be the easiest Romance language
23/12/2012 07:26:43 PM
- 666 Views
It certainly isn't the hardest (Romanian and then French might be that)
23/12/2012 07:42:38 PM
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Romanian always seemed quite easy to me
24/12/2012 02:08:17 AM
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I think we're interpreting this a bit differently here
24/12/2012 04:15:46 AM
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So by "purity" you really mean the simplicity and limitation on vowel sounds...
26/12/2012 01:20:40 AM
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Yes, although I prefer it being in reference to a lesser range of variation in vowel sound to letter
26/12/2012 04:33:06 AM
- 768 Views
Eh, they're both famous Italian epics?
25/12/2012 07:06:37 PM
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You make it sound as though Medieval Italian is radically different from Modern Italian.
26/12/2012 01:15:24 AM
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From the aesthetic point of view I think that Ariosto is recognized as the best.
23/12/2012 02:54:43 PM
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I agree (all but the Bar-Sur-Aube I've read in the original language, with translations to help)
23/12/2012 05:16:04 PM
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Since it's a short book I might just buy a paperback and hope Dumbarton Oaks issues a hardcover.
23/12/2012 07:29:52 PM
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It'll be a few months at least before I tackle Mommsen in any language
23/12/2012 07:44:42 PM
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I took a chance and ordered Orlando Furioso a week ago from amazon.it
24/12/2012 02:14:02 AM
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Hopefully it'll be what you want
24/12/2012 04:19:32 AM
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Io sono trasportato di gioia
28/12/2012 12:32:21 AM
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And I just ordered their Tasso.
28/12/2012 01:09:08 AM
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Very strange indeed
28/12/2012 04:46:26 AM
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Excellent!
28/12/2012 04:45:42 AM
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The books are not as rigid as a cardboard-style hardcover, but they aren't very supple.
28/12/2012 05:36:35 AM
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I agree about the Old French and Catalan - it makes sense when you think about it.
25/12/2012 07:18:35 PM
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It's even simpler than that.
26/12/2012 01:48:02 AM
- 681 Views
Having finished re-reading the Pulci, I think that one might interest you as well
25/12/2012 08:59:38 AM
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Saw the title of this and immediately thought: Tite Kubo. haha *NM*
03/01/2013 10:27:22 PM
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