The synchrony and diachrony of example markers in Latin

This article aims to fill a gap in the current literature on the pragmatics of Latin by proposing a corpus-based analysis of the different words (e.g., ut , uelut , sicut ), phrases (e.g., exempli gratia , uerbi causa ), and constructions (e.g., ut puta , si dicas ) exploited to signal the process of exemplification. The structures and devices that perform this discursive operation are essentially neglected in Latin handbooks of syntax and stylistics, and only sparse comments on individual forms can be found in the lexica and in recent literature. To investigate these understudied issues, we have devised a functional taxonomy centred around the notions of meta-exemplification, canonical exemplification, and para-exemplification. The analysis of the data illustrating the different strategies and signals of exemplification is based on the tenets of historical pragmatics. The discussion focuses on the multiple roles and emergence of example markers in different textual genres, with special attention to technical prose and grammatical treatises, where examples are crucial in describing natural categories and explaining linguistic phenomena. The significance of the results extends beyond the Latin language and sheds light on the origin and development of example markers in general.