| Summary: | The paper presents an analysis of ancient Roman theories on the problem of orthographic standardization and its criteria, focusing on the relationship between spelling and pronunciation. In particular, I will discuss the ‘orthographic ideology’ found in the Ars of the grammarian, rhetorician and Neoplatonic philosopher Marius Victorinus (4th c. AD). Marius Victorinus’ position is apparently that of a radical theorist who advocates phonetic spelling in every context, even when it would produce unfamiliar forms. His theory follows a radical application of the ‘phonemic principle’, according to which each grapheme should correspond to a single phoneme in a strict oneto-one relationship. The paper aims to trace the background of Marius Victorinus’ views, in order to present an account of the influence of the ‘phonemic principle’ in the evolution of Latin orthography and in the works of Latin scholars and grammarians, also including prominent intellectuals and leaders such as Accius, Lucilius and Varro, as well as Caesar, Augustus and Claudius. The paper also discusses key concepts of ancient grammatical debate such as that of ratio, consuetudo and auctoritas. Finally in the paper I will also consider the relationship of this orthographic debate with broader cultural discourses, such as the opposition between analogists and anomalists in late Republic, the archaizing movement of the second century, and the effort of (imperial) power to ‘control and organize’ Latin knowledge.
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