Lexicon and Historical Change: Essays in Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6093/1593-2214/12858Keywords:
Middle Ages, 5th-8th Centuries, Italy, Historical Semantics, Lexical Change, Land and Property TerminologyAbstract
The presented monographic section outlines the approach of the Lexiconomy project, which is based on the premise that every word has a history deeply rooted in the political, economic, and social contexts in which it was used. Words are not mere surface elements but active historical agents, capable of reflecting and prompting change. The project focuses on the seemingly static semantic field of land – its use, management, and classification – to uncover profound transformations during the 5th to 8th centuries, particularly in Italy. Through five essays, the study explores key terms such as conductor, condoma, cafagium, sundrium, puer, fundus, and casalis, decoding their semantic layers and pragmatic functions in historical sources. The dual aim is to promote a methodology based on historical semantics and to encourage renewed attention to language as a historical source in its own right.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dario Internullo, Paolo Tomei
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