Very Old Latin

This chapter examines the question of the periodization of pre-Classical Latin. I argue that a division between the very oldest Latin and the Latin of Plautus and Cato, traditionally all placed under the rubric of Old Latin, was recognized by the Romans themselves and is fully justified linguistically. I then examine a number of phonological innovations which are most decisive in separating the two periods and the relative and absolute chronology of these changes. The upshot is that the first period extends from ca. 650 to 330 bce. Finally, I defend Warren Cowgill’s coinage, Very Old Latin, as the best name for this earliest period.