The Artistic Re-elaboration of Colloquial Latin in the Aeneid. The Case Study of Aen. 5.159–82

This article tries to identify some forms of artistic re-elaboration of colloquial Latin in the Aeneid, and to understand how Virgil integrated them in his work. After the definition of colloquial Latin, the method is explained: it combines a linguistic and stylistic approach with a pragmatic and sociolinguistic one. The results that emerged from the analysis of selected dialogues from the Aeneid are then summarised and Virgil’s modus operandi is presented. Finally, an in-depth analysis of a case study (Aen. 5.159–82) shows the presence of colloquial phenomena, their artistic re-elaboration, and their effects. This paper therefore deals with the poetic art of Virgil and allows us to explore his profound linguistic sensitivity.