LINGUISTICS. Renaissance period

Transcript

1 LINGUISTICS Renaissance period

2 Languages change through time. Evolution of languages can be studied. You can identify when something was written by how it was written.

3 LORD S PRAYER: OLD, MIDDLE, EARLY MODERN ENGLISH 11 th century 14 th century 16 th century Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum; Si þin nama gehalgod to becume þin ricegewurþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum. urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg and forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge ac alys us of yfele soþlice Oure fadir that art in heuenes, halewid be thi name; thi kyngdoom come to; be thi wille don, in erthe as in heuene. Yyue to vs this dai oure breed ouer othir substaunce, and foryyue to vs oure dettis, as we foryyuen to oure dettouris; and lede vs not in to temptacioun, but delyuere vs fro yuel. Amen. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

4 RENAISSANCE SCHOLARS STUDY Renaissance scholars now had access to texts from the Middle East that had been lost to the west since the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. Study showed that Latin in Europe had become degraded (changed) since Roman times. It was possible to spot errors in translation and forgeries of ancient texts.

5 VULGATE BIBLE Translation by Jerome, secretary of Pope Damasus I, 390s CE Vulgate Bible is standard for centuries Renaissance period: errors in translation found.

6 EXAMPLE: HORNS Vulgate Bible, Exodus 34:29-35 And when Moses came down from the mount Sinai, he held the two tables of the testimony, and he knew not that his face was horned from the conversation of the Lord. And Aaron and the children of Israel seeing the face of Moses horned, were afraid to come near. And being called by him, they returned, both Aaron and the rulers of the congregation. And after that he spoke to them. And all the children of Israel came to him: and he gave them in commandment all that he had heard of the Lord in mount Sinai. And having done speaking, he put a veil upon his face. But when he went in to the Lord, and spoke with him, he took it away until he came forth, and then he spoke to the children of Israel all things that had been commanded him. And they saw that the face of Moses when he came out was horned, but he covered his face again, if at any time he spoke to them.

7 MODERN TEXT 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.

8 MISTRANSLATION LET TO INTERESTING ART

9 HORNS ON MOSES

10 DONATION OF CONSTANTINE The Donation of Constantine Donatio Constantini document's authenticity had been repeatedly contested since forged Roman imperial decree Claims emperor Constantine I supposedly transferred authority over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope. probably 8th century

11 Donatio Constantini used, esp. in 13th cen., in support of claims of political authority by the papacy. Lorenzo Valla Italian Catholic priest Renaissance humanist first exposed the forgery w/ solid linguistic arguments

12 OUR DAILY BREAD Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). Latin Vulgate: Give us this day our supersubstantial(lat.supersubstantialem) bread. (Douay- Rheims Version). Transubstantiation of the host was a controversy

13 ARROWS Ps 127:4: As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken. (Duoay-Rheims Vulgate) Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one s youth. (NKJV)

14 VERNACULAR

15 Inferno Canto I Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, ché la diritta via era smarrita. Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte che nel pensier rinova la paura! Tant' è amara che poco è più morte; ma per trattar del ben ch'i' vi trovai, dirò de l'altre cose ch'i' v'ho scorte. Io non so ben ridir com' i' v'intrai, tant' era pien di sonno a quel punto che la verace via abbandonai. Ma poi ch'i' fui al piè d'un colle giunto, là dove terminava quella valle che m'avea di paura il cor compunto, guardai in alto e vidi le sue spalle vestite già de' raggi del pianeta che mena dritto altrui per ogne calle. Allor fu la paura un poco queta, che nel lago del cor m'era durata la notte ch'i' passai con tanta pieta. E come quei che con lena affannata, uscito fuor del pelago a la riva, si volge a l'acqua perigliosa e guata, così l'animo mio, ch'ancor fuggiva, si volse a retro a rimirar lo passo che non lasciò già mai persona viva.