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Realistic representation of the speech of the lower classes in ancient literature is largely confined to the comic genres, and Petronius' realism in this area is more thorough-going than that of any other ancient author. A vast scholarly literature has grown up around the question of how faithfully the speeches of Petronius' freedmen reflect characteristics of actual popular speech; this literature is reviewed and evaluated. A survey of the phonological, morphological, lexical, and syntactic peculiarities in these speeches is then undertaken, in which they are compared with other 'vulgar' Latin sources such as the Pompeian inscriptions; Petronius is in fact one of our most important early sources for the study of popular Latin. The way in which Petronius used specific varieties of non-standard Latin to characterize different freedmen speakers is explored: Petronius has subtly modulated his freedmen's speeches to reflect differing emotional states and the different attitudes of the speakers toward their social position. The present study is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject undertaken in over forty years in any language and the only one in English.

Petronius Arbiter, Caius Titus --- Freedmen --- Latin language, Vulgar --- Freedmen in literature --- Speech in literature --- Affranchis --- Latin populaire (Langue) --- Affranchis dans la littérature --- Parole dans la littérature --- Language --- Langage --- Petronius Arbiter. --- Freedmen in literature. --- Speech in literature. --- Language. --- Texts. --- -Freedmen in literature --- -Speech in literature --- Latin language, Popular --- Latin language, Colloquial --- Ex-slaves --- Freed slaves --- Slaves --- Texts --- Petronius Arbiter --- Petronius, Arbiter --- -Petron --- Pétrone, T. --- Petronio --- Petronio Arbitro --- Petronio, Caio --- Petronio, Cayo --- Petronius --- Petronius Arbiter, --- Petronius Arbiter, Titus --- Petronius, Gaius --- Petronius, Titus --- -Language --- Affranchis dans la littérature --- Parole dans la littérature --- Petron --- Petronio Árbitro --- Petronius, Caius --- Petronius, Gaius Titus --- Pétrone --- Language and languages. --- Latin language, Vulgar. --- Foreign languages --- Languages --- Anthropology --- Communication --- Ethnology --- Information theory --- Meaning (Psychology) --- Philology --- Linguistics --- Cena Trimalchionis (Petronius Arbiter) --- Rome (Empire) --- Rim --- Roman Empire --- Roman Republic --- Rome --- Romi (Empire) --- Byzantine Empire --- Italy --- Freedpersons --- Freed persons --- Freed persons in literature. --- Freedmen - Rome - Language. --- Latin language, Vulgar - Texts. --- Trimalchio, C. Pompeius --- Ex-enslaved persons --- Freed enslaved persons --- Enslaved persons