Back to Results
Info page for book:   The Latin Sexual Vocabulary
Info page for book:   The Latin Sexual Vocabulary
Share this Title:

The Latin Sexual Vocabulary

J. N. Adams

Publication Date
Binding Type

LIke other languages, Latin contained certain words its speakers considered obscene as well as a rich stock of sexual euphemism and metaphor. Our sources for this information range from surviving graffiti to literary works with a marked sexual content. Yet despite its manifest literary and linguistic interest, the sexual vocabulary of Latin has remained uninvestigated by scholars.

J. A. Adams's pioneering and unique reference work collects for the first time evidence of Latin obscenities and sexual euphemisms drawn from both literary and nonliterary sources from the early Republic to about he...

LIke other languages, Latin contained certain words its speakers considered obscene as well as a rich stock of sexual euphemism and metaphor. Our sources for this information range from surviving graffiti to literary works with a marked sexual content. Yet despite its manifest literary and linguistic interest, the sexual vocabulary of Latin has remained uninvestigated by scholars.

J. A. Adams's pioneering and unique reference work collects for the first time evidence of Latin obscenities and sexual euphemisms drawn from both literary and nonliterary sources from the early Republic to about he fouth century A.D. Separate chaptes treat each of the sexual pasrts of the body and the terminology used to describe sexual acts. General topics include the influence of Greek language on Latin, changes in the Latin vocabulary over time (including the evolution of sexual words into general terms of abuse), and lexical differences among various literary genres.

Reviews

Reviews

A sterling scholarly achievement by a distinguished philologist: shrewd, learned, concise and rigorous. It contributes to the study of poetry [and] literary history.

A serious scholarly examination of a much-neglected aspect of Roman literature.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
5.5
x
8.5
Pages
280
ISBN
9780801841064
Table of Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
Part I. Introduction
Part II. MENTVLA and Its Synonyms
Part III. Designations of the Female Genitalia
Part IV. CVLVS and Its Synonyms
Part V. The Vocabulary Relating to Sexual Acts
Part

Preface
Abbreviations
Part I. Introduction
Part II. MENTVLA and Its Synonyms
Part III. Designations of the Female Genitalia
Part IV. CVLVS and Its Synonyms
Part V. The Vocabulary Relating to Sexual Acts
Part VI. Conclusion
Appendix: The Vocabulary Relating to Bodily Functions

Author Bio
Featured Contributor

J. N. Adams

J. N. Adams is senior lecturer in Latin at the University of Manchester, England.