Teaching Latin grammar at the crossroads of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

The aim of the project is to investigate to what extent and in what way Latin grammar teaching was affected by Humanist views on grammar and language teaching in the 15th century.

During the Middle Ages the discipline of grammar transformed from being primarily concerned with language proficiency to a study of grammar per se, closely linked to the discipline of philosophy. Language was seen as a mirror (Latin: speculum) of the physical world, the truth of which could be attained via speculative grammar. The early 1200s saw the introduction of two new grammars, intended for students at European universities: Doctrinale, written by Alexander de Villa Dei in 1199, and Graecismus by Eberhard de Béthune, dated about 1212. They were written in verse, and therefore easy to memorize – important given that books were costly – and superseded Priscian’s Institutiones grammaticae, dating back to about 500 A.D., which was associated with the excessively philosophical teaching approach. But philosophical commentaries came to be written also on the new books, particularly Doctrinale. It seems to have been impossible to sever the connection between grammar and philosophy in medieval university studies.

With the diffusion of renaissance ideas demands were renewed for a more practically oriented grammar teaching that enabled students to develop their language skills. The Latin to be taught should be modeled on classical literature; the Humanists regarded the Latin now spoken in schools and universities as far removed from that of Cicero’s. Their demands were met and the medieval grammar books were gradually abandoned in favor of grammars reflecting a more Humanistic influence.

Erika Kihlman’s working hypothesis is that the Humanist ideas ought to have been reflected in the teaching before it was decided to change textbooks. She will therefore focus on the teaching practices and examine how they changed during the 15th century. Naturally, it is problematic to study teaching that took place more than half a millennium ago, since teaching is usually oral and instantaneous. Yet traces do remain in the form of handwritten notes by students and books with teachers’ comments. This source material can provide a valuable insight into the classrooms of the late Middle Ages. She will also examine medieval university records to see how faculty decisions influenced teaching.

The project centers on a case study of the teaching at Vienna’s medieval university, at which respected Humanists were invited to speak and where classical authors were introduced in the curriculum in the 1450s. But it was not until the early 16th century that lectures on Doctrinale were expressly forbidden. 

Despite a substantial amount of research into medieval and humanistic grammar, gaps in our knowledge remain. The change in the teaching of grammar during this epoch-forming period is an example of such a gap and one that this research project intends to fill. A further aim of the project is to provide more information about the practical aspects of late medieval teaching, a subject still fairly unknown.