Latin ALTER and ALIUS

Alessandra Bertocchi; Anna Orlandini

Chapter 5 Latin ALTER and ALIUS

In: Other: Ambiguity, Constraints, and Change

Authors:

Alessandra Bertocchi

Alessandra Bertocchi Università di Bologna

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Anna Orlandini

Anna Orlandini Centre Alfred Ernout Paris

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 133–159

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004744196_006

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Abstract

The paper takes into consideration the expression of ‘other’ in Latin and its diachronic evolution towards the form it takes in the Romance languages. Latin is provided by the two forms alter/alius corresponding to an additive meaning and a non-identity meaning, respectively:

a. qui te parentem alterum putant (Cic. Mil.102)

‘who count you as a second father’

b. alias res geris (Plaut. Cist.719)

‘you are attending to something else’

But the relation between alter and alius is more complex than it appears in (a,b) and the diachronic evolution towards the form that the expression of ‘other’ takes in the Romance languages will show that alter in such languages completely replaces alius, which is destined to disappear.

According to most traditional grammars, alter and alius are distinguished as regards the number to which they are related: alter refers to one of two, alius to one of many. The frequent co-occurrence of alter with nouns referring to a set of two members (as manus, pes, oculus, consul) appears to confirm its dual character, but many cases escape this characterization.

The gradual semantic weakening of the original meaning of alter makes it to cover the function of indefiniteness proper of alius. The appearance of the articles in the Romance languages plays a role in relation to the disappearance of alius and the fortune of alter. Alius disappears, with a process of weakening that concerns all the Latin indefinite pronouns. Synchronically, alter, when it is not a binary quantifier, is mainly additive, while alius has a non-identity meaning. Diachronically, it is possible to account for the disappearance of alius in the Romance languages, putting it into relation with the categories of definiteness and indefiniteness.

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Other: Ambiguity, Constraints, and Change

Series: Syntax and Semantics, Volume: 45

Cover <i>Other</i>: Ambiguity, Constraints, and Change

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004744196

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 13 Nov 2025

Subjects
- Languages and Linguistics

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Part 1 Formal Approaches

Part 2 Diachronic Approaches

Part 3 Corpus-Based and Typological Approaches

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Chapter 5 Latin ALTER and ALIUS

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Other: Ambiguity, Constraints, and Change

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