The Romance Languages (Paperback)

by Martin Harris (Editor), Nigel Vincent (Editor) "result of its widespread use by the early Jesuit missionaries; there are, however, also significant Amerindian-speaking communities from Chile northwards to Mexico. In linguistic terms,..." (more)
Key Phrases: past perfective indicative, subjunctive desinences, atonic vowels, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, European Romance (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Readers interested in linguistic investigation of Romance languages have been aware for some time that there is a lack of comprehensive reference sources in that field. The present work, written by leading scholars, fills this gap....[An] excellent book."--The Antioch Review

"An outstanding volume."--Joseph Solodow, Southern Connecticut State University

"A high-quality survey....The thorough coverage of the Romance family and the thorough (and roughly parallel) treatment of the structures of each language will make this volume useful both as a textbook and as a reference manual."--Language Problems, Language Planning

"An invaluable reference for all researchers in the Romance languages. It introduces the beginners to the diversity of the Romance family and it keeps the 'veterans' on their toes with its abundance of details."--Graziella Saccon, University of Texas, Austin

Product Description
Filling a critical gap in modern Romance language scholarship, and providing a theoretically strong, factually reliable reference source for future generations of linguists, this book surveys the structure and evolution of the Romance language family. A systematic balance of diachronic and synchronic approaches, it is the most comprehensive treatment of Romance languages available for both general reference and specialized linguistic investigation, examining Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Rumanian, Catalan, Occitan, Sardinian, Rhaeto-Romance, and Romance-based pidgins and creoles. The treatments of each Romance language, by scholars of established reputation in that language, cover all main features, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexis. To aid the reader, each chapter concludes with a select list of reference works and further readings, and the book includes both an analytic index and a system of cross-references within the main body of the text.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 9, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195208293
• ISBN-13: 978-0195208290
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #794,750 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent reference to the romance languages, November 7, 2001

By	Luke (NYC, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This is an excellent book for either the interested layman or the refined linguist concerning the romance languages (more than the typial five, incidentally). The included languages are: Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, Occitan, Rhaeto-Romance and Sardinian, with another chapter about various romance-based creoles and pidgins. Within each chapter, there is a section on phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon. There are also interesting charts and maps, contrasting different features of the different languages.

The tone of the book is serious and academic, although the language is not so erudite that a hobby-linguist (like myself) cannot understand it. The five "standard" romance languages in the book also feature in Bernard Comrie's "The World's Major Languages", to which this book is best described as a supplement (it's the same publishing company and features many of the same writers), although these five have approximately twice as much treatment as they do in the latter book, albeit some of the text is lifted directly from "Major Languages". The tone and "feel" of the entries here are identical to those of "Major Languages", incidentally, so if you are familiar with that book you will instantly be comfortable with this one.

One feature that I appreciated was the many comparisons drawn between the various languages, with all of the shifts in phonology, morphology and syntax explained and contrasted. For example, if you have ever wondered why many words in French that begin with "f-" have a corresponding word in Spanish that begins with "h-", this is explained as are all other issues of this sort.

All in all, an excellent book for anyone interested in the romance languages.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars review of "The Romance Languages", March 27, 2002

By	David Simon (Bainbridge Island, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This book offers an incredible comparison and representation of the romance languages. It discusses their similarities and individual characteristics. I recommend it not only for all students of the any romance languages but for anybody looking for an in-dept look at the grammar and developement of the romance languages from their "parent language" latin! This truly is a great book!