L'ÉVOLUTION DU LATIN MÉDIÉVAL
documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/3103/08%20TEXTE.pdf
de F BLATT - 1958
If we want to follow the destinies of the Latin language in the Middle
Age, we can focus on either the external appearance or the appearance
internal evolution. The question of geographical extension
social and medieval Latin, men who practiced it, in short
of his outer life, has been discussed several times lately.
We will therefore focus here on a broad outline of its evolution
internal.
It is mainly about describing, locating and explaining
the many transformations undergone by Latin since the end
of Antiquity, the specific characters that distinguish
the medieval Latin of classical and post-classical Latin, and,
if possible, to unite the unity of diversity. Progress
realized for 50 years in the study of Low-Latin should allow
to define quite exactly what we consider
as typically medieval Latin.
This typically medieval Latin emerges essentially
three elements: first, the influence of national languages, a factor
new acting in various directions; then, next to
the influence of the various idioms, the medieval Latin felt equal -
new conditions of existence, for example the evolution of
of the society ; Finally, we must take into account the formatio n
of a vast scholarly language whose action is nevertheless sensitive
outside purely scientific writings.
Regarding the first factor, each country offers the
same field to study specifically national traits. he
It is normal for me to focus especially here on the student
from the Latin of the Nordic countries. Our oldest texts go back
in the eleventh century; these are charters published in the series
Diplomatarium Danicum, Diplomatarium Suecanum and Diplom-
202
tarium Norvagicum. For literary texts, see M. Cl. Gertz,
Vitae Sanctorum Danorum and Scriptores minores, Langebek,
Script. rer. Dan., Storm, Monumenta historiae Norvagicae,
Ericus Olai Script. Suec. However, I specify that the traits
will be identical or almost identical with respect to other countries.
Our task is twofold: on the one hand, to distinguish
particular regional phenomena of common medieval Latin,
on the other hand to study the semantic domains where
more clearly the different local characteristics.
It is in the cases where Latin borrowed from the languages
that the influence of these is the most sensitive. He is coming
that we find borrowing from Germanic and Celtic since ancient times,
but unlike borrowings from Greek they are not
dispersed and remained without any noticeable effect on the structure of the
language . On the other hand medieval Latin, as we know it -
sounds by charters, laws and literature, is full of borrowings
new facts to these languages. In the medieval texts
of Scandinavian origin is for example the word scotacio
(scoto, rescoto), that Andreas Sunesen in his Latin paraphrase of
the former regional law of Skåne explains: "The seller
put some soil on the buyer's lap and this laugh
solemn can be called with reason scotacio by employing a mo t
from the vulgar tongue (Lex Scaniae 4, 13) ". But we find
also all the forms since scoting, pure and simple loan,
until scotatio. It would be difficult to find outside sources
Scandinavian free peasants designated by bondones (= rustici;
substrate the Nordic word bonde). We can sometimes fix the area
a word of the limits even narrower: it would be difficult to find
outside the eastern linguistic zone of the Scandinavian countries,
or influenced by this region, the Latinized word FORTA to
designate common lands for a whole village.
So each country has printed its own character in the Latin of
Middle Ages. We find for example in original texts
German the words scario (Scherge), knapo (Knapp); it probably is
on a French-speaking land that the word prisonium
- also attested in Northern Europe - has penetrated
in medieval Latin. In the chronicle of Salerno we find
erabamus (eravamo) as imperfect sum, and gradiebatur
for filacebat (gradisce). England has provided the important word
203
baco, while zabellus and zibellinus must be attributed to
the Slavic influence. We see the national element appear not alone -
in Indo-European speaking countries: in Hungary, which has
enjoyed in the Middle Ages a fairly pure Latin, phenomenon due to
fact that the structure of Hungarian is not Indo-European and
therefore the possibilities of mutual influences
were limited. We still find Hungarian loans.
The courtiers are called ud (v) ornici, a judge birous (de biro).
Let us note to finish the many medieval borrowing from Greek, em -
prunts unknown to classical and post-classical Latin: dulia,
emologo, elenchus, elenchice, epiikia, latria, homonimus, ledon,
loidoria, soma, tafium, talus, etc. . . We can also see
everywhere hybrid formations, mixtures of Latin elements and
indigenous: we find eg. burgiloquium next to civiloquium
to make the Middle-German way bûrsprake, and campim
Etcetc, what I was trying to say. Much more in it.
L'ÉVOLUTION DU LATIN MÉDIÉVAL
documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/3103/08%20TEXTE.pdf
de F BLATT - 1958
