medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Doesn't 'persona' also refer to the mask used in Roman theatrical
presentations? 'Dramitis personae' could mean both 'the characters in the
drama' or 'the masks in the drama.' I don't have a source for this, but I do
remember seeing a picture of an ms which showed an illustration of a rack or
set of shelves with masks on it, labeled 'dramatis personae.'
yrs, t. ault
>===== Original Message From Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
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>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>> The Oxford English Dictionary is considered
>> authoritative on history and usage in English-
>> speaking countries. It gives "persona" as simply
>> the Latin word for person, carried over into English
>> in such phrases as persona grata and persona non
>> grata.
><snip>
>
>The OED is indeed authoritative in matters of English language history
>and usage, but I would not give it as much authority in matters of
>latinity, nor do I think the editors of the OED would claim such
>themselves. The concept of "persona" in Latin is difficult and
>sometimes I am not sure even that the medieval auctoritates knew exactly
>and clearly what meaning(s) of "persona" they had in mind when they
>wrote. It is not necessarily the case that all the nuances of Lat.
>"persona" migrated into English usage.
>
>Also, although Otfried will speak for himself, I am certain he was not
>claiming that the word "persona" was limited to a legal meaning, even in
>German-speaking countries.
>
>Best wishes,
>
>MW
>
>Mark F. Williams
>Dept. of Classics
>Calvin College
>Grand Rapids, MI
>USA 49546
>
>"Keep your stick on the ice."
> -Red Green
>
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