Introduction

Although several editions of some or all of the fragments of Livius Andronicus have appeared within the last century, they contain little commentary. Also, virtually all recent major work on Livius, such as that of Mariotti, has focused on assessing his artistic talents and his ability as a translator of Homer. But, as the oldest literary Latin preserved in any quantity, the language of Livius shows many features of linguistic interest, as well, and raises many questions of phonology and morphology and a few of syntax. Therefore, I have undertaken to write a linguistic commentary on the text of Livius Andronicus.