How to introduce Latin direct speech

Direct speech has been marginalised by Latin philologists and linguists for a long time. In comparison to indirect or free direct speech, it may seem even banal and uninteresting. Verbal forms, pronouns, and adverbs do not change...

What to examine about direct speech, if it is so well-known?

However, the first impression is often false. Only distinguishing what is an instance of direct speech and what is not, is not such an easy task as it might seem at first sight. In addition, Latin texts did not look like the modern digital ones. When compared to the present, punctuation was used very rarely and quotation marks were systematically introduced only after the invention of book printing. Therefore, we may assume that there was a need to mark at least the beginning of direct speech by other means, for example, by using certain expressions or structures. From this, there is only a step to the examination of introducing the direct speech, i.e. of its incorporation into the text.

It is fascinating to observe how the common practice has changed over the centuries.

Whereas in Classical Latin (around the beginning of our era) one specific verb prevailed, in Late Latin (from ca. 200 to 800 CE) the range of verbs was much more varied and, under the influence of Biblical language, a new participle dicens, i.e.'saying', was spreading and appeared also in combinations such as "he/she responded saying". Does it remind you of a passage taken from the writings of Komenský (Czech author from the beginning of the 17th century) or Němcová (Czech female author from the 19th century)? It may not be a mere coincidence. It is reasonable to assume that the common Latin use also influenced the way of writing texts in the whole western European civilization, which has sprung from the Latin written culture.

Selected Publications

Mikulová, Jana. 2018. Direct speech and diversity of voices in selected letters of Cicero to Atticus I (direct speech). Studia Linguistica Universitatis Iagellonicae Cracoviensis, 2018, 135 (3), s. 201-209. ISSN 1897-1059. doi:10.4467/20834624SL.18.018.8854. URL info
Mikulová, Jana. 2018. Direct speech and diversity of voices in selected letters of Cicero to Atticus II (indirect speech, mixed quotations and comparison with direct speech). Studia Linguistica Universitatis Iagellonicae Cracoviensis, 2018, 135 (3), s. 211-217. ISSN 1897-1059. doi:10.4467/20834624SL.18.019.8855. URL info
Mikulová, Jana. 2017. Some remarks on dicens in Late Latin texts. Indogermanische Forschungen, 2017, 122 (1), 1–28. ISSN 0019-7262. doi:10.1515/if-2017-0001.
Mikulová, Jana. 2016. The marking the end of direct speech in Late Latin. Graeco-Latina Brunensia, 2016, 21(2), 169–182. ISSN 1803-7402. doi:10.5817/GLB2016-2-13.
Mikulová, Jana. 2015. Verbs introducing direct speech in Late Latin texts. Graeco-Latina Brunensia, 2015, 20(2), 123–143. ISSN 1803-7402.