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.
La sezione monografica presentata espone l’approccio del progetto Lexiconomy, fondato sull’idea che ogni parola abbia una storia radicata nei contesti politici, economici e sociali in cui è stata usata. Il lessico non è una semplice veste esterna della realtà, ma una risorsa storica attiva, capace di riflettere e stimolare mutamenti. Il progetto si focalizza sul campo semantico legato alla terra – apparentemente statico – per rivelarne le trasformazioni nei secoli V-VIII, in particolare nella penisola italiana. Attraverso cinque saggi, si analizzano termini chiave come conductor, condoma, cafagium, sundrium, puer, fundus e casalis, per decifrare i significati stratificati e i contesti pragmatici in cui ricorrono nelle fonti. L’obiettivo è duplice: da un lato, proporre un metodo di ricerca fondato sulla semantica storica; dall’altro, stimolare nuove riflessioni sul linguaggio come fonte storica in sé.
Lessico e mutamento storico. Saggi in prospettiva
Paolo Tomei;
2025-01-01
Abstract
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.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
