Latin Linguistics in Harm’s Way

This article is a slightly adapted version of a lecture held at the 21st International Colloquium on Latin Linguistics in Santiago de Compostela in commemoration of Harm Pinkster, founder of the International Colloquia on Latin Linguistics. Harm Pinkster died on 14 December 2021, only a couple of months after the publication of the second volume of his formidable lifework The Oxford Latin Syntax (OLS, 2015−2021). The article traces the major developments in Harm Pinkster’s scholarly career leading up to the publication of the OLS, with emphasis on the earliest periods and with due attention to his general humanity and the way in which he professionalized the discipline.