What books do Textkit folk recommend for further study of Vulgar and Old Latin ? I’ve found some titles but would like to know what the gurus here prefer.
TIA!
Sorry, cantator, I wish I had some references to, um, refer you to. Actually, if you find anything good, be sure to post it here for the rest of us!
-David
Last year in my undergrad university course on Medieval Latin, we extensively used Jozsef Herman’s 'vulgair latin
’ It is very in-depth, and I could heartily recommend it. This is, however the only english language one on the subject that I have experience with. I have heard great things about ‘Latin Vulgaire’ by Christine Mohrmann, though. The complete expert on the subject is supposed be Veikko Väänänen, who wrote inter alia ‘Introduction au Latin Vulgaire.’
I hope this helps some!
Valeto
Thank you, Iulianus, I appreciate the response. I haven’t read French extensively for a while, but I think I can handle the recommendations. Meanwhile I’ll go ahead and order the Herman book. I read some pages on Amazon, it looks like what I want.
Mohrmann’s book is available as a pamphlet reprint, it’s a short work that may not be as in-depth as I’d like (no viewable pages on Amazon). Veiko’s book is currently unavailable. 
Gratias tibi maximas ago !
I’ll order the Herman book (see Iulianus’s post) and will post a mini-review.
My work (?) in the language started with Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”, then I went through everything I could find by Helen Waddell. Most available material has been in the nature of anthologies and other collections. F. J. Raby’s books are seminal studies, but again they are not grammars. Ditto for the Harrington “Medieval Latin” (make sure you get the earlier edition). The anthologies by Beeson and Gaselee are fine, and IIRC they include some notes.
After reading some Petronius I started getting more interested in the “common” types of Latin. I’m pleased to see the new material on that topic that has appeared in the past 20 years, it’s apparently a lively study these days.
I’d like to see some student editions with notes and vocabulary. Some possibilities that might hold a casual reader’s interest :
the Waltharius by Ekkehard
Liudprand’s Antapodosis
the letters of Abelard and Heloise
Dante’s Latin works (especially De Vulgari Eloquio)
the collected poems of the Archpoet and Hugh Primas
et cetera…
I’d buy a student edition for every one of those works, but I truly doubt I’ll see such things any time soon. Meanwhile I’ll just have to improve my VL/ML skills. Hence, my continuing search for learning materials. 
Fuit nihil negotii! Let me know how you like it - I intend to buy it myself one day as well (used the university library version).
I was going to ask you to what purpose you wanted to read this book, until I read your next post.
Some of those books you mentioned I have read myself - it seems we share some of the same interest. I too have read Helen Waddells works, as well as Beesons ‘Primer of Medieval Latin.’ I was going to buy Harringtons Primer, but saw it get some really bad reviews over at amazon (the second ed.). One primer that I could really recommend is ‘Reading Medieval Latin’ by Keith Sidwell - I haven’t read it yet but plan to in the very immediate future. I have looked through it though and it’s the most decent and complete primer that I have yet seen on any subject (especially the appendices in the back are very handy, concerning orthography).
I’d like to see some student editions with notes and vocabulary.
If you happen to know any basic German, I would very much like to point you to the ‘Reclam Verlag’ which has many medieval Latin works published complete with introductions, notes (and often) translations. Check out the catalog: Reclam Medieval and Renaissance Latin
Of this series, I myself own the ‘Ruodlieb,’ ‘the Waltharius epic,’ and Erasmus’ ‘Adagia.’
Also, drop me a line if you’re ever interested in digital editions of (for instance) Abelards letters, ‘Gesta Romanorum,’ Albertus Magnus, Vincent of Beauvais, etc., etc. I have collected these over the past year or so - they are all perfectly ‘legal’ (most of them are so old their copyright expired). They range from adobe acrobat reader formats to txt documents.
Edit: if you decide to order anything from the Reclam Verlag, take note that not all the titles listed there are with the Latin included - only the ones with ‘Lat./Dt.’ underneath the titles!
I’d like to add my recommendation for Keith Sidwell’s Medieval Latin primer. It has an excellent selection of both readings of various qualities and registers and useful notes.
As it happens, I worked with the Waltharius saga a little bit last semester. I was reading (parts of) it for a project in Medieval Literature, and I annotated a few passages for the intermediate Latin student. I’m an intermediate Latin student, so the annotation is really a record of my thoughts as I worked through the passages. It’s the speech that Walter makes right before the big battle. If anyone is interested, I’d be glad to send it to you. (But not for a week or so, since I don’t have access to my saved files right now.)
Regards,
David
I considered it. The reviews on Amazon aren’t overwhelming, so I’ve decided to get the Herman book first and then reconsider Sidwell.
…[re: Waltharius] I annotated a few passages for the intermediate Latin student. I’m an intermediate Latin student, so the annotation is really a record of my thoughts as I worked through the passages. It’s the speech that Walter makes right before the big battle. If anyone is interested, I’d be glad to send it to you. (But not for a week or so, since I don’t have access to my saved files right now.)
Thanks, David, but I have that speech. Raby, Waddell, and Harrington are all impressed by the Waltharius, and the excerpts I’ve read so far have been pretty good, so I figure it might be fun to read more. I’ll look at the German edition Iulianus recommended.
Btw, are you guys familiar with the Latin/Italian editions from BUR and Sperling ? I like them a lot, they’re great for working on my favorite languages simultaneously. I don’t know if they publish Medievalia, I’ll check today.