A New Approach to the Saturnian Verse and Its Relation to Latin Prosody

Abstract

Modem attempts to understand the Satumian meter on either a quantititative, accentual, or syllabic basis have failed to specify a system that can account for all the surviving verses.' Furthermore, none has succeeded in accounting for important prosodic phenomena such as elision. This paper will depart from the path of previous inquiries by seeking a metrical solution in the rhythmic features native to the Latin language itself. Before proceeding with my argument, I will first introduce the features of Latin prosody on which this analysis is based. This introduction will draw from modem theories about metrics, which use some technical terms in ways that may seem foreign or contradictory to the classicist. When ambiguities or conflicts in terminology arise, I will do my best to clarify them. Following my argument, I will conclude with some observations on the development of word accentuation in Latin, which may explain why the Romans themselves ultimately forgot how to scan the Satumian verse.