Hello.
Augustine of Hippo grew up speaking the Punic dialect of Numidia. He
learned Latin at school. His famous writings were in Latin.
See:
"Augustine was born to a pagan father and Christian mother in the city
of Tagaste, in the Roman colony of Numidia (now known as Algeria). His
formal education began at the public school in nearby Madaura, where
Augustine was introduced to the polite language of Latin. Up until
this point, he had for the most part spoken the Punic dialect of
Numidia, and he became enthralled with the world of literature opened
up to him through Latin. "
source: Georgia Tech: St Augustine of Hippo
http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/gallery/rhetoric/figures/augustine.html
'...Augustine... the Punic language which he describes as "our own tongue".'
source: Saint Augustine of Hippo, The Phoenician Punic
http://phoenicia.org/staugustine.html
" At home he spoke a Punic dialect; school introduced him to Latin,
and to books in Latin which fascinated him. He decided that wanted to
become a public speaker."
source: Augustine of Hippo's Life, A Summary
http://www.albatrus.org/english/potpourri/historical/augustine_life_summary.htm
" He was from the beginning a brilliant student, with an eager
intellectual curiousity, but he never mastered Greek -- he tells us
that his first Greek teacher was a brutal man who constantly beat his
students, and Augustine rebelled and vowed never to learn Greek. By
the time he realized that he really needed to know Greek, it was too
late; and although he acquired a smattering of the language, he was
never really at home in it. However, his mastery of Latin was another
matter."
source: Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and Theologian
http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/08/28.html
-----
search strategy:
"augustine of hippo" language latin
"augustine of hippo" punic language
I hope this helps. |