This book is an excellent volume on Latin verbal nouns (henceforth VNs), written by S. (well known for her several studies on Latin syntax and pragmatics), in the wake of a number of previous articles on the subject. The book is divided into six main sections: an introduction, a description of VNs in Latin, an analysis of Cicero's narrative texts (De divinatione, Pro Milone, Epistulae ad Atticum), an analysis of VNs in technical texts (Cicero's De inventione, Vitruvius’ De architectura), a section on competitors of verbal nouns (gerunds, gerundives, participles, supines, participial clauses, infinitives) and an analysis of VNs in legal texts, including an epilogue on the construction -tio + sum in Plautus and the modal meaning of -tio nouns (denied by S.).
From the outset, the book stands out for the clarity of its method and its numerous detailed analyses, text by text, in order to reach solid general conclusions on a relatively homogeneous type of corpus. The quality of the book is highlighted by tables showing precise data. As a result, the clearly presented figures and examples add to the knowledge as found in previous scholarly literature. All this is well known to S., who outlines a clear and important description of the state of the art and of the methodological framework (pp. 1–62).
Based on a corpus of legal and technical texts, S. proposes a systematic study of the patterns of VN valency. For each type of text S. analyses the pattern of arguments concerning the different VNs studied. Different types are proposed: the nouns are monovalent or bivalent, accounting for implicit or explicit arguments. In most cases, only one argument is expressed, which is often represented by a genitive or an agreeing possessive, such as meus. With regard to monovalent VNs, in many cases the explicit argument reports the agent. Otherwise, when the argument is not expressed, it can be inferred from the context, because of its co-reference with the subject: siquidem ad mortem proficiscens Callanus Indus (Cic. Div. 1.47). In the case of bivalent verbs, the most frequent structure is the presence of the second argument and the absence of the first (which is implicit or absent). The second argument is usually found in the genitive. For trivalent VNs, there are several configurations, for example accomodare aliquid ad aliquid has the second and third arguments in elocutio est idoneorum verborum ad inventionem accommodatio (Cic. Inv. 1.9). From a formal point of view, arguments represented by prepositional syntagmas are rare. In addition, argument clauses (including indirect questions) can be found quite frequently.
Regarding the integration of VNs, S. tries to predict their function in the clause: when they take on a concrete value, they are found in the valency of certain verbs, such as fio, facio, perficio or existo and insto (e.g. pp. 61, 70, 126–8), where they are presented in nominative or accusative. VNs are in the nominative when they are subject of sum or fio. These verbs, which have a low semantic load, highlight the significance of the noun. On a formal level S. raises some distinctions: for instance, in Vitruvius the VN is regularly found in the complement of the prepositions in and de after communicative verbs (de parietibus et apparitione … exposui, Vitr. 2.8.20; p. 129). In the same way S. argues that in Vitruvius’ language there are fewer nominatives than in De inventione due to the less theoretical character of the work.
The study is also interesting from the point of view of essential complements of place. This predicative type seems to be disappearing, since certain verbs such as habitare, which imply a place complement in their valence, once they become nouns (> habitatio), take on a concrete meaning ‘habitation, house’ (e.g. pp. 127; 183).
The question of essential or satellite complements conveying a particular meaning is very interesting. S. makes an initial classification by type (pp. 37–40), where the prepositional phrase or a different case of the genitive is required by the verbal valency; she cites the source arguments of rivorum a fonte diductio (Cic. Top. 33) and commercium istarum rerum cum Graecis hominibus (Cic. Ver. 4.133), the complements of emotional verbs such as amor erga me (Cic. Fam. 9.11.1) or the various complements of nouns of temporal movement of the verb, like Qui vero Narbone reditus! (Cic. Phil. 2.76). But there are rarer cases of optional adjuncts, which sometimes become adjectives, such as ex diutina conclusione (Caes. Civ. 1.8), or which always form an adjunct temporal phrase, such as uno puncto temporis … caedem (Cic. Flac. 60). There are also reason (and time) adjuncts: affectio est animi aut corporis ex tempore aliqua de causa commutatio, ut laetitia, cupiditas. (Cic. Inv. 1.36) (p. 119). In short, the strategy of nominalisation can sometimes include some adjuncts of the core predication, and not only of the nuclear predicate.
S.'s contrastive analysis of the different texts studied reveals salient syntactic and stylistic features. Regarding the diathetic added value of VNs, S. underlines the interests of nominalisation, such as allowing a verb to take on an autocausative or decausative value in context (e.g. pp. 101–3), especially in Cicero, De inventione (affectio animi, commutatio etc.) and De divinatione. We can quote, with a de-causative value: et quidem idem (sc. Thales Milesius) primus defectionem solis, quae Astyage regnante facta est, praedixisse fertur (Cic. Div. 2.167). For Vitruvius S. notes that the passive voice can be obtained by -tionem habeo, such as cum pariete qui paries valvarum habuerit collocationem (Vitr. 4.4.1).
Furthermore, there is a trend towards deagentivisation in technical texts (pp. 55; 130), where a VN appears after a generic name, which could be an argument: (homines) cotidie inventionibus gloriantes alius alii ostendebant aedificiorum effectus (Vitr. 2.1.3).
While the dichotomy between concrete nouns and nouns with verbal meanings is often discussed in the book, several important claims on the semantical and lexical level are developed. With regard to -tio nouns with a concrete meaning, S. distinguishes two categories: nouns that have a corresponding verbal form (derivate by -tio suffix), generally with a concrete meaning, such as fundatio (< fundare) in fundationes eorum operum fodiantur … ad solidum (Vitr. 3.4.1) and -tio nouns without corresponding verb, and only with a concrete meaning, such as gradationes (< gradus) in insuper fundamenta lapideis et marmoreis copiis gradationes ab substructione fieri debent. (pp. 135–7). S. underlines the productivity of the -tio suffix, which can create nouns using other nouns or adjectives, in addition to verbs. She points out that this kind of derivation, which always assumes a concrete meaning, is the hallmark of technical texts.
S. also deals with the competition between gerunds, gerundives and VNs. In addition to having some commonalities, notably functional, since they undergo the test of coordination with each other, it appears that some of the vocabulary specific to each work accounts for competition between VNs, gerunds and gerundives. Some verbs, which do not have an equivalent VN, therefore use gerunds and gerundives (e.g. ulciscor, p. 191) or only appear from late Latin (p. 178).
The volume contains an index locorum and a useful index rerum. While it goes without saying that a short review cannot reflect all the contributions made by this book, all the qualities of S.'s previous works are once again brought together here.
