Tracce di lingua parlata nel Lazio del X secolo: quattro trascrizioni di testimonianze processuali dal cartulario medievale di Subiaco

Abstract

The chartulary of the abbey of Subiaco in Latium, written between the 11th and the 12th centuries, contains four documents with transcriptions of oral testimonies pronounced during trials. These sources, dating back to the period between 911 and 966, reveal important information about the functioning of the judiciary system in this time and the Latin spoken by the witnesses and the parties involved in lawsuits. The few recorded sentences do not allow a full reconstruction of their language in all its complexity, but they enable us to formulate some considerations on the formulas and linguistic codes used during trials. The main question revolves around the linguistic abilities of the small and middle elite of Latium in this time, a group that rarely appears in other types of sources. This paper aims to contribute to the debate on this topic by examining the not always fully appreciated chartulary of Subiaco.

Keywords

• subiaco
• central italy
• documentary practices
• chartularies
• medieval latin