Appendix Probi

The Appendix Probi is a text of the third century A.D. by Valerius Probus. It lists common mistakes in the written Latin of the time. In these mistakes, we can observe tendencies in the grammar and pronunciation of the contemporary Romance vernacular, which influenced people's writing. The author's corrections of these usages give us insight into how Latin was evolving at that time. For example, the instruction PASSIM NON PASSI or NVMQVAM NON NVMQVA tells the reader that the Classical Latin word is written with an M. The fact that this was a common spelling error tells us that word-final M had become silent. Many of these mistakes later became well-and-truly standard, cf. Spanish nunca, from NVMQVAM.

In some cases, Probus recommends forms that are not the usual Classical ones, for example AMFORA NON AMPORA recommends an F, whereas amphora is normally spelt with PH.

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Appendix Probi

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