Old Latin

The term Altlatein one understands the language level of Latin, which precedes the classical Latin. In a narrower sense, it is only the period from the beginning of the literary tradition ( Livii Andronici Odusia, 240 BC), while the inscriptions are known from even earlier times as early latin until the beginning of the 1st century BC.

Phonological characteristics of Latin in this period of about 150 years, which was completed earlier monophthongization the diphthongs / ei / > altlat. / ē / (SCB l 14: CONPROMESISE ), which then around the middle of the 2nd century BC to / ī / is the latest, / eu / ( > ou ) > altlat. / ō / > altlat. / ū / ( doucere, probably speak with [o ː ] / [u ː ] ), / ou / > altlat. / ō /, the v. early as the end of the 3rd century BC to / ū / is Scipios - Elogium l 3: LUCIOM but robust / robeus, red ' ( limited yet classic on the coat color of cows, probably from rural dialect borrowed ) and usually / oi / > altlat. / ū /, weakness and partial loss of short vowels in non- first syllables and the reduction immediately before a short vowel standing long vowels.

From classical Latin it is called only in texts from the first third of the 1st century BC, although its sound level was reached in its most striking characteristics decades earlier. This has its reason in the fact that until that time the so-called classical writers such as Cicero, Caesar or Virgil occur which normalize the Latin language in grammar and vocabulary as they then changed little for hundreds of years has stock.

• Latin