Linguistic contact with Germanic languages has accompanied the Romance languages since the beginning of their history—indeed, even earlier, as the oldest contacts date back to Latin. Relics of this period are still present in the lexicon of the Romance languages. The most significant period in this respect is that of the migrations of the Germanic peoples (until about the 1970s referred to as “barbarian invasions”), which reached as far as the Iberian Peninsula via Gaul and Italy, with settlements of varying duration. In this period (5th–10th centuries CE), historical events overlapped with linguistic ones, which saw the fragmentation of the Latin unity and the beginning of the processes that led to the formation of the Romance languages. The presence of Germanic gentes and languages left traces in the lexicon and, to a lesser extent, in the phonetics and morphosyntax of the Romance languages; in some cases it may have influenced the formation of the Romance dialect areas. From the late medieval period—which saw the emergence of distinct Romance areas, largely corresponding to those of the modern day—to the present, the nature of the language contact changes. No longer connected to massive movements of populations, it involves cultural and commercial contacts. Individuals and the dissemination of cultural products, broadly speaking (mainly literature, but later politics, philosophy, music, art, and, eventually, technology and science), create contact situations. These situations result exclusively in lexical borrowings, which often, starting from the early modern period, are not adapted and, thus, are recognized as having a foreign origin. In addition, the medium of contact has also changed: alongside oral speech, which has been the primary channel of contact, the written word also became increasingly relevant. It should also be remembered that in the present day, there are geographical areas (states or regions) in Europe where Romance and Germanic languages coexist, often both as official languages. A peculiar type of contact is represented by the relationship between Gallo-Romance varieties and English, starting from the Norman conquest (11th century CE) to the 15th century CE. Finally, a special case is represented by the language contact between the Romance languages and English in the modern day, since this follows quite different paths with respect to other Germanic languages: almost nonexistent until the early modern period, it is significant from the 18th century onward and then becomes so prominent from the second half of the 20th century (also due to the influence of U.S. English) that it has led to the emergence of purist movements against the Anglicization of European languages.
Romance in Contact With Germanic.
Morlicchio E.
2025-01-01
Abstract
Linguistic contact with Germanic languages has accompanied the Romance languages since the beginning of their history—indeed, even earlier, as the oldest contacts date back to Latin. Relics of this period are still present in the lexicon of the Romance languages. The most significant period in this respect is that of the migrations of the Germanic peoples (until about the 1970s referred to as “barbarian invasions”), which reached as far as the Iberian Peninsula via Gaul and Italy, with settlements of varying duration. In this period (5th–10th centuries CE), historical events overlapped with linguistic ones, which saw the fragmentation of the Latin unity and the beginning of the processes that led to the formation of the Romance languages. The presence of Germanic gentes and languages left traces in the lexicon and, to a lesser extent, in the phonetics and morphosyntax of the Romance languages; in some cases it may have influenced the formation of the Romance dialect areas. From the late medieval period—which saw the emergence of distinct Romance areas, largely corresponding to those of the modern day—to the present, the nature of the language contact changes. No longer connected to massive movements of populations, it involves cultural and commercial contacts. Individuals and the dissemination of cultural products, broadly speaking (mainly literature, but later politics, philosophy, music, art, and, eventually, technology and science), create contact situations. These situations result exclusively in lexical borrowings, which often, starting from the early modern period, are not adapted and, thus, are recognized as having a foreign origin. In addition, the medium of contact has also changed: alongside oral speech, which has been the primary channel of contact, the written word also became increasingly relevant. It should also be remembered that in the present day, there are geographical areas (states or regions) in Europe where Romance and Germanic languages coexist, often both as official languages. A peculiar type of contact is represented by the relationship between Gallo-Romance varieties and English, starting from the Norman conquest (11th century CE) to the 15th century CE. Finally, a special case is represented by the language contact between the Romance languages and English in the modern day, since this follows quite different paths with respect to other Germanic languages: almost nonexistent until the early modern period, it is significant from the 18th century onward and then becomes so prominent from the second half of the 20th century (also due to the influence of U.S. English) that it has led to the emergence of purist movements against the Anglicization of European languages.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
