The languages of early medieval charters: Latin, Germanic vernaculars, and the written word

"This is the first major study of the interplay between Latin and Germanic vernaculars in early medieval records. Building on previous work on the uses of the written word in the early Middle Ages, which has dispelled the myth that this was an age of 'orality', the contributions in this volume bring to the fore the crucial question of language choice in the documentary cultures of early medieval societies. Specifically, they examine the interactions between Latin and Germanic vernaculars in the Anglo-Saxon and eastern Frankish worlds and in neighbouring areas. The chapters are underpinned by an important comparative dimension on account of the two regions' shared linguistic heritage and numerous cross-Channel links."--

Latin and Germanic Vernaculars in Early Medieval Documentary Cultures: Towards a Multidisciplinary Comparative Approach / Francesca Tinti -- Charters, Languages, and Communication: Recent Work on Early Medieval Literacy / Rosamond McKitterick -- The Multilingualism of the Early Middle Ages: Evidence from Peripheral Regions of the Regnum orientalium Francorum / Wolfgang Haubrichs -- Germanic Names, Vernacular Sounds, and Latin Spellings in Early Anglo-Saxon and Alemannic Charters / Annina Seiler -- Language, Formulae, and Carolingian Reforms: the Case of the Alemannic Charters from St Gall / Bernhard Zeller -- Signalling Language Choice in Anglo-Saxon and Frankish Charters, c.700-c.900 / Edward Roberts and Francesca Tinti -- The Endorsement Practices of Early Medieval England / Robert Gallagher and Kate Wiles -- Traces of Bilingualism in Early Medieval Northern Italy: the Evidence from Eighth- and Ninth-Century Private Charters / Marco Stoffella -- Languages of Boundaries and Boundaries of Language in Cornish Charters / Charles Insley -- Vernacular Writing in Early Medieval Manorial Administration: Two Tenth-Century Documents from Werden and Essen / Stefan Esders -- Royal Authority, Regional Integrity: the Function and Use of Anglo-Saxon Writ Formulae / Albert Fenton -- From Memorandum to Written Record: Function and Formality in Old English Non-Literary Texts / Kathryn A. Lowe -- Writing, Communication, and Currency: Dialogues between Coinage and Charters in Anglo-Saxon England / Rory Naismith -- Epilogue / Janet L. Nelson.