The Attitude of the Roman Emperors towards Language Practices

Abstract

Abstract In this chapter, the focus is on the attitudes of the Roman emperors towards language practices, which sometimes become ideologies mirrored in language usage throughout the Empire, in order to highlight the political aims that lay behind the use they made of Latin and Greek and how languages were used as a political weapon. The first Julio-Claudian emperors understood the importance of the quality of Latin and its use in administration as an element to create a Roman identity in the Imperium Romanum, without making any attempt to impose it in any part of the Empire. After Augustus and Tiberius, who demonstrated an interest in regulating the use of languages in public life, linguistic policy appears to be flexible and adapted to the circumstances. About the situation after Nero’s reign there is less information available. Under the Antonine emperors, a balanced bilingualism is reached. The period from Marcus Aurelius’ death (180) to Constantine’s death (337) is relatively barren in terms of commentary on linguistic attitudes, which can mainly be found in the texts of the classical jurists, which culminated under the Severi. I conclude by briefly taking into account the situation after Constantine until Justinian’s reign (527–65). The documentary sources from the Roman Empire are an important resource for seeing these attitudes and developments possibly reflected in practice and in linking Latin to the Imperium Romanum.