Macaronic language
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Macaronic refers to text spoken or written using a mixture of languages. The term is occasionally used of hybrid words, which are in effect internally macaronic.
One particular form is Macaronic Latin, a term for various sorts of adulterated Latin. The phrase is used for a jumbled jargon made up of vernacular words given Latin endings, or for Latin words mixed with the vernacular in a pastiche (compare dog Latin). The writing of humorous texts for satirical purposes in Macaronic Latin became a fad in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, particularly in Italian. One important and unusual example of what could be considered a Macaronic text is Hypnerotomachia Poliphili of 1499, which was basically written using Italian syntax and morphology, but using a made-up vocabulary based on roots from Latin, Greek, and occasionally others.
Macaronic text remains an interest of modern Italian authors. For instance, macaronic language appears in the works of Carlo Emilio Gadda; Umberto Eco (Salvatore in The Name of the Rose, and the peasant hero of Baudolino); and Dario Fo (whose Mistero Buffo — "Comic Mystery Play" — features grammelot sketches using language with macaronic elements).
Macaronic verse similarly refers to poetry written in more than one language, most frequently a mixture of the local vernacular and Latin. It was especially popular with non-liturgical carols of the Middle Ages. An example is the first stanza of the famous carol "In Dulci Jubilo":
| Original text
In dulci jubilo, |
English translation
In sweet rejoicing, |
| One macaronic English and Latin version
In dulci jubilo, |
The Roman text is in German; the italicised in Latin (in this example, there is a hint of a third language, in the Greek letters mentioned in the last line).
Macaronic verse is especially common in cultures with widespread bilingualism or language contact, such as Ireland before the middle of the nineteenth century. Macaronic traditional songs, such as "Siúil A Rúin" are quite common in Ireland.
Macaronic verse was also common in medieval India, where the influence of the Muslim rulers led to poems being written alternatingly in indigenous medieval Hindi verse, followed by one in the Persian language. This style was used by the famous poet Amir Khusro, and it also played a major role in the rise of the Urdu or Hindustani language.
English examples include "Maid of Athens, ere we part" by Byron and "The Motor Bus" by A. D. Godley.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Byron, "Maid of Athens"
