ab Romanis

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Lavrentivs
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ab Romanis

Post by Lavrentivs »

I thought ab were only used when followed by a vowel, but found ab Romanis. What is that about?

adrianus
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Re: ab Romanis

Post by adrianus »

L&S, [url]http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dab[/url], wrote:The second form of this preposition, changed from ap, was ab, which has become the principal form and the one most generally used through all periods—and indeed the only one used before all vowels and h; here and there also before some consonants, particularly l, n, r, and s; rarely before c, j, d, t; and almost never before the labials p, b, f, v, or before m, such examples as ab Massiliensibus, Caes. B. C. 1, 35, being of the most rare occurrence...Finally, by dropping the b of ab, and lengthening the a, ab was changed into á, which form, together with ab, predominated through all periods of the Latin language, and took its place before all consonants in the later years of Cicero, and after him almost exclusively.
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

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