I didn't find -ula among the diminutive endings discussed on this site in the question "Constructing Latin diminutives." Hadrian's famous poem "Animula vagula, blandula" uses these 3 diminutives plus "nudula." Might this be a later form, not found in Classical texts? It also occurs in Carmina Burana, much later than Hadrian--"Si puer cum puellula/moraretur in cellula."
-
Welcome to the site! This nice question has earned you enough reputation points that you can now vote up any questions and answers you like on the site. Please do so; voting helps us help each other. I also recommend taking a look at our introductory tour.– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Sep 23, 2019 at 3:45
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
The diminutive ending -ula is common in classical Latin, and arguably productive. The examples you found are not exceptional.
The linked question does not discuss all the Latin diminutives. The suffixes listed in the question are all masculine, but there are corresponding feminine and neuter variants. So the -ulus there implicitly includes -ula (and -ulum).
Here are some attested pairs:
- amica > amicula
- bucca > buccula
- caliga > Caligula
- casa > casula
- forma > formula
- lacrima > lacrimula
- palma > palmula
- ruta > rutula
- sica > sicula
- toga > togula
- vila > villula
There are also lots of diminutives where -ula does not simply replace -a, such as mulier > muliercula.
answered Sep 22, 2019 at 17:38
