Nomina declinare et verba in primis pueri sciant: labas valodas pamati antīko teorētiķu skatījumā

In the activities important and respected in the ancient stages of European cultural history, i.e., in the career of an orator, statesman and, of course, poet or prose author, only a well-cognized and thus well-developed language was appropriate. In the texts on language and style by both Greek and Roman theorists, the concept of “good, correct language” is one (the first) of the four parameters that characterize a good verbal expression in general. The other three parameters are clarity, appropriateness or adequacy, orderliness, or beauty. The first two parameters are very much based on the knowledge of language system elements and their interaction when forming an expression in oral or written text. Understanding of linguistic (in the modern sense) issues in Greco-Roman cultural period developed within the interaction environment of philosophical, rhetorical, and grammatical thought; also chronologically, in that order. Ancient texts and contexts reveal the cognizance of the language system and a conscious understanding of its elements as a precondition for the most successful use of language, ensuring that mistakes are avoided. By looking at and summarizing the most important information from the material of ancient sources, it is possible to draw parallels with modern problems, when the role of learning the elements of the language system in the process of language acquisition and use has often to be reminded and emphasized.