Multilingualism in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age : : Communication and Miscommunication in the Premodern World / / ed. by Albrecht Classen.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter DG Plus DeG Package 2016 Part 1
• MitwirkendeR: Bak, János M.,; Beale-Rivaya, Yasmine,; Classen, Albrecht,; Connell, Charles W.,; Cooper-Rompato, Christine,; Eherenman, Kimberly A.,; Halmari, Helena,; Ingham, Michael,; Ingham, Richard,; Kaplan, Gregory B.,; Marcus, Imogen,; Mondschein, Ken,; Niiranen, Susanna,; Peters Auslander, Diane,; Regetz, Timothy,; Tuley, K. A.,; Willard, Thomas,
• HerausgeberIn: Classen, Albrecht,
• Place / Publishing House: Berlin ;, Boston : : De Gruyter, , [2016]; ©2016
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Language: English
• Series: Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture , 17
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (VI, 402 p.)

Bi- and multilingualism are of great interest for contemporary linguists since this phenomenon deeply reflects on language acquisition, language use, and sociolinguistic conditions in many different circumstances all over the world. Multilingualism was, however, certainly rather common already, if not especially, in the premodern world. For some time now, research has started to explore this issue through a number of specialized studies. The present volume continues with the investigation of multilingualism through a collection of case studies focusing on important examples in medieval and early modern societies, that is, in linguistic and cultural contact zones, such as England, Spain, the Holy Land, but also the New World. As all contributors confirm, the numerous cases of multilingualism discussed here indicate strongly that the premodern period knew considerably less barriers between people of different social classes, cultural background, and religious orientation. But we also have to acknowledge that already then human communication could fail because of linguistic hurdles which prevented mutual understanding in religious and cultural terms.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Table of Contents -- Multilingualism in the Middle Ages -- “Victor Victus” -- The Impact of Bilingualism and Diglossia in Cantabria (Spain) during Late Antiquity -- “The Walling of New Ross,” 1265 -- The Power of Multilingualism in the Voices of Hildegard of Bingen -- At the Crossroads of Languages -- Vernacular Bilingualism in Professional Spaces, 1200 to 1400 -- A Kingdom of Many Languages -- Multilingualism and Power in the Latin East -- Apothecary’s Art as a Contact Zone in Late Medieval Southern France -- Xenoglossia and Multilingualism in Middle English Sermons on Pentecost -- Bi- and Multilingualism in the Early English Ballad -- Multilingualism in Medieval Europe -- Language Switching and Alliteration in Oxford, MS Bodley 649 -- The Devil Is in the Details -- Hard Places -- Index