Old Latin

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Old Latin (also called Early Latin or Archaic Latin) refers to the Latin language in the period before the age of Classical Latin; that is, all Latin before 75 BC.

Phonology

Phonological characteristics of older Latin are the case endings -os and -om (later Latin -us and -um), as well as the existence of diphthongs such as oi and ei (later Latin ū or oe, and ī). Also the letter C is used to represent both Classical C and G. In many locations, classical Latin turned intervocalic /s/ into /r/, which is called rhotacism. This rhotacism had implications for declension: early classical Latin, honos, honoris; Classical honor, honoris ("honor"). Some Old Latin texts preserve /s/ in this position, such as the Carmen Arvale's lases for lares.

Existing examples

Notable Old Latin fragments still in existence include:

The Forum inscription (illustration, right) (circa 550 BC)
The Duenos inscription (circa 500 BC)
The Castor-Pollux dedication (circa 500 BC)
The Garigliano Bowl (circa 500 BC)
The preserved fragments of the laws of the Twelve Tables (traditionally, 449 BC, attested much later)
The Tibur pedestal (circa 400 BC)
The Senatusconsultum de Bacchanalibus (186 BC)
The Lapis Satricanus
The Vase Inscription from Ardea
The Corcolle Altar fragments
The Carmen Arvale
The Carmen Saliare
The Scipionum Elogia

Writers of later, but still early Latin:

Plautus (3rd–2nd century BC)
Cato the Elder (234–149 BC)

Grammar and Morphology (Differences from Classical Latin)

Nouns

First declension (a)

The 'A-Stem Declension'. Nouns of this declension usually end in –a and are typically feminine.

	puella, –aī girl, maiden f.
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	puella	puellai
Vocative	puella	puellai
Accusative	puellam	puellā
Genitive	puellās/-es/-aī	puellōm/ -āsom
Dative	puellai	puellaīs/-eīs/ -abos
Ablative	puellād	puellaīs/-eīs/ -abos
Locative	puellā	puellaīs/-eīs

Second declension (b)

The 'O-Stem Declension'. Nouns of this declension are either masculine or neuter.

	campos, –oī field, plain m.		saxom, –oī rock, stone n.
	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
Nominative	campos	campoī	saxom	saxa
Vocative	campe	campoī	saxe	saxoī
Accusative	campom	campōs	saxom	saxa
Genitive	campoī	campōm/ -ōsom	saxoī	saxōm/ -ōsom
Dative	campoī	campoīs	saxoī	saxoīs
Ablative	campōd	campoīs	saxōd	saxoīs/ -oes
Locative	campō	campoīs	saxō	saxoīs/ -oes

Note the genitive plural ending has two endings: the earlier -ōm, almost exactly like the Ancient Greek -ōn, and the later Archaic Latin form -ōsom. Due to the fact that in Archaic Latin /r/'s and /s/'s were often interchangeable, a phenomenon known as rhotacism, the later -ōsom evolved into the Classical Latin -ōrum.

Third declension (c)

The 'E-Stem ' and 'I-Stem ' Declension. This declension contains nouns that are masculine, feminine, and neuter.

	Regs –es king m.
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	regs	reges
Vocative	regs	reges
Accusative	regem	reges
Genitive	regis	regōm
Dative	regei	regebos
Ablative	regeid	regebos
Locative	regei	regebos

The nominative as regs instead of rex shows a common feature in Old Latin; the letter x was seldom used alone to designate the /ks/ or /gs/ sound, but instead, written as either 'ks', 'cs', or even 'xs'.

Personal Prounouns

Personal pronouns are among the most common thing found in Old Latin inscriptions. Note how in all three persons, the ablative singular ending is identical to the accusative singular.

	Ego, I	Tu, You	Suī, Himself, Herself, Etc.
Nominative	ego	tu	-
Accusative	mēd	tēd	sēd
Genitive	mis	tis	sei
Dative	mihei, mehei	tibei	sibei
Ablative	mēd	tēd	sēd
	Plural
Nominative	nōs	vōs	-
Accusative	nōs	vōs	sēd
Genitive	nostrōm, -ōrum, -i	vostrōm, -ōrum, -i	sei
Dative	nōbeis, nis	vōbeis	sibei
Ablative	nōbeis, nis	vōbeis	sēd

The Relative Prounoun

In Old Latin, the relative pronoun is also another common concept, especially in inscriptions. Unfortunately, the forms are quite inconsistent and leave much to be reconstructed by scholars.

queī, quaī, quod who, what
	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	queī	quaī	quod
Accusative	quem	quam	quod
Genitive	quoius, quoios	quoia	quoium, quoiom
Dative	quoī, queī, quoieī, queī
Ablative	quī, quōd	quād	quōd
	Plural
Nominative	ques, queis	quaī	qua
Accusative	quōs	quās	quōs
Genitive	quōm, quōrom	quōm, quārom	quōm, quōrom
Dative	queis, quīs
Ablative	queis, quīs

Verbs

Old Present and Perfects

There is not much actual proof of the morphology of Old Latin verb forms, and even these scant carvings hold many inconsistencies between forms. Therefore, the forms below are ones that are both proven by scholars through Old Latin carvings, and recreated by scholars based on other early Indo-European languages such as Greek, Oscan, Umbrian, and other Italic dialects.

	Indicative Present: Sum				Indicative Present: Facio
	Old		Classical		Old		Classical

Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
First Person	som, esom	somos, sumos	sum	sumus	fac(e/ī)o	fac(e)imos	faciō	facimus
Second Person	es	esteīs	ēs	estis	fac(e/ī)s	fac(e/ī)teis	facis	facitis
Third Person	est	sont	est	sunt	fac(e/ī)d/-(e/i)t	fac(e/ī)ont	facit	faciunt

	Indicative Perfect: Sum				Indicative Perfect: Facio
	Old		Classical		Old		Classical

Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
First Person	fuei	fuemos	fuī	fuimus	(fe)fecei	(fe)fecemos	fēcī	fēcimus
Second Person	fuistei	fuisteīs	fuistī	fuistis	(fe)fecistei	(fe)fecisteis	fēcistī	fēcistis
Third Person	fued/fuit	fueront/-erom	fuit	fuērunt	(fe)feced/-et	(fe)feceront/-erom	fēcit	fēcērunt

References

External links

Old Latin Inscriptions

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