Publication details
¿Cómo pedir humildemente? La perífrasis dignari + infinitivo
| Title in English | How to ask humbly? The periphrasis dignari + infinitive |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Citation | |
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| Description | The article focuses on the origin and evolution of the formula rogo (ut) digneris until the end of the 5th century, as can be deduced from Brepolis databases. In the texts of literary authors, the formula appears for the first time in Pliny’s letters addressed to the emperor Trajan. Its formation was facilitated by the extension of the meaning of the verb dignor which, combined with the infinitive, began to express ‘I consider myself worthy of doing something, I deign to do something’. Moreover, the verb dignor seems to have been appropriated because of its affinity to the concept of dignitas, which is important in Latin politeness. Among the precursors of the formula, three examples of the imperative dignare + infinitive seem to be important. The frequency of the formula started to increase in the 4th century. Late authors used more verbs with the meaning ‘to ask’ than Pliny, who employed only rogo. They used the formula to ask for various things (answer, prayer, favours, etc.) and sometimes reinforced it with “honorific” treatments such as beatitudo tua ‘your beatitude’. In the same century, the frequency of dignare + infinitive also increased. Depending on the context, constructions with dignari can express impatience, urgency, irritation, and reproaches and thus cross the boundary between polite and impolite. |
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