Book
Philosophia Translata: The Development of Latin Philosophical Vocabulary through Translation from Greek
A Case Study Approach
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Christopher J. Dowson
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2023
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About this book
How Latin philosophical vocabulary developed through the translation of Greek sources, the varieties of translation practices Roman philosophers favoured, and how these practices evolved over time are the overarching themes of this monograph. A first of its kind, this comparative study analyzes the creation of philosophical vocabulary in Lucretius, Cicero, Apuleius, Calcidius, and Boethius. It highlights a Latin literary tradition in which the dominance of Greek philosophical expression was challenged and renovated over time through the individual translation choices of different Latin authors. Included are full glossaries of Latin and Greek philosophical terms with explanatory notes for the reader.
Author / Editor information
Christopher Dowson completed a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) at the University of Western Australia, where he also graduated with a Master’s degree in Classics. He received his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in Classical Languages and Literature and held a Theodor Heuss Postdoctoral Fellowship in Germany with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, undertaking research at the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Munich. He has published in the areas of classical studies, law, and philosophy, most recently The Social Networking Function of Cicero’s Prefaces to the Philosophical Works (Philologus, forthcoming 2023).
Reviews
"Dowson’s monograph is a treasure-trove of material, tracing the development of specific technical vocabulary (such as silva) and morphological tools (such as Boethius’ reliance on the -ivus suffix), yet still able to present the broader narrative involving the translation and didactic strategies of major intellectual figures against the background of the formulation of technical vocabulary in related areas." Carl O'Brien, BMCR 2024.11.08.
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
September 25, 2023
eBook ISBN:
9789004677968
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
398
eBook ISBN:
9789004677968
Audience(s) for this book
This monograph will be a useful reference work for researchers (post-graduates and specialists) of ancient philosophy and Latin and Greek literature. It will also be valuable to anyone with an interest in translation studies, sociolinguistics, and the history of philosophy.
