The Reichenau Glosses
The Reichenau glosses to the Vulgate Bible of St. Jerome are called
so because they formerly belonged to the abbey of Reichenau, on an island
in Lake Constance, Germany. It is supposed that they are compiled in the
8th century.
The vocabulary of the Reichenau glosses appears to be French in flavour
(e.g., arenam sand glossed by
sabulo,
French sable; vespertiliones bats,
by calvas sorices, French chauvesouris), and some words of
Frankish origin appear (e.g., scabrones beetles
is glossed by wapces wasps,
respectant
they
look about by
rewardant).
The glosses provide some evidence of morphological simplification
(e.g., saniore healthier is glossed
by plus sano more healthy and cecinit
he
sang by cantavit), but for the most part only lexical
items are regarded as meriting comment.
I.
Manuscript of Karlsruhe 115
A. List of Words that are to
replace the corresponding Classic Latin words in French:
-
onustus pro carcatus (carricatus, OF chargié)
-
binas pro duas et duas (F deux et deux, deux
à deux)
-
profertus pro alatus factus
-
transgredere pro ultra alare
-
opilio pro custos ovium vel berbicarius
-
aper pro salvaticus porcus
-
fusiles pro fundutas (F fondues)
-
gecor (jecur) pro ficato (ficatum; OF feie, foie)
-
offendas pro abatas (OF abates af)
-
oves pro berbices (verveces; OF berbis, F brebis
sheep)
-
mares pro masculi (F mâles)
-
oppidis pro castellis vel civitatibus (F châteaux,
cités)
-
hiems pro hibernus (F hiver)
-
forum pro mercatum (F marché)
-
emit pro comparavit (OF comparer to
buy)
-
mercator pro comparator
-
femur pro coxa (F cuisse)
-
arena pro sabulo (F sable)
-
cecinit pro cantavit (F chanta)
-
canere pro cantare (F chanter)
-
si vis pro si voles (F si [tu] veux)
-
pallium pro drappum (F drap, of Gaulish origin)
-
lamento pro ploro (F pleurer)
-
liberos pro infantes (F enfants)
-
ictus pro colpus (F coup, of Gk origin)
-
ensis pro gladius (F glaive)
-
uvas pro racemos (F raisins)
-
sortilegus pro sorcerus (F sorcier)
-
tedet pro anoget (inodiat, F ennuie)
-
viscera pro intralia (F entrailles)
-
vespertiliones calvas sorices (F chauves-souris bat)
-
coturnix pro quaccola (caille quail)
B. Words implying a series
of analogies:
-
singulariter pro solamente (F seulement): -mente
is already used as an adverbial suffix
-
optimos pro meliores (F meilleurs)
-
saniore pro plus sano
-
transmeare pro transnotare (transnatare): the developping
substitution of â by o is observed (as L
natale > F noël)
C. Germanic loan-words:
-
pignus pro wadius (F gage)
-
respectant pro rewardant (F regardent)
-
Italia pro Longobardia
-
Gallia pro Francia
-
turmas pro fulcos (F foule mob)
-
caemrentariis pro mationibus (F maçons)
-
non pepercit pro non sparniavit (F épargner
to
spare)
-
galea pro helme (F heaume helm)
D. Words with new meanings:
-
ager pro campus
-
cenacula pro mansiuncula (F maison)
-
caseum pro formaticum
-
castro pro heribergo
-
contemeliam pro verecundiam (F vergogne)
-
cuncti pro omnes
-
destestare pro plasphemare
-
fatigatus pro lassus
-
ferus pro durus
-
flare pro suflare
-
gehenna pro duplex pena
-
gratis pro sine mercede
-
Italia pro Langobardia
-
in ore pro in bucca (F bouche mouth)
-
rostrum pro beccus (F bec beak)
-
isset pro ambulasset (F aller (?) to
go)
-
ita pro sic
-
jus legem pro vel potestatem
-
liberos pro infantes
-
milites pro servientes (F serjants)
-
nonnulli pro multi
-
pronus pro qui ad dentes iacet
-
prumptus pro paratus
-
pulcra pro bella (F belle)
-
rerum pro causarum
-
ruga pro fruncetura (ruga means already street)
-
scurris pro ioculator
-
saga pro cortina
-
sagma pro soma vel sella
-
semel pro una vice (fois)
-
sopor pro sumpnus
-
umo pro terra (F terre)
-
vegitat pro portat
-
vitiosior pro callidior (vitium takes the meaning
of trick, guile, as in the Modern French
expression avoir du vice = être rusé)
-
vectum (<vectem) pro tinel (tinalum) (in order
to be distinguished from the new meaning of vit)
II.
Manuscript of Karlsruhe 86 (84 glosses only)
-
cartallum pro fiscellum paner (F panier)
-
clivium pro montania (F montagne)
-
coccinus pro rubeus (F rouge)
-
colera pro nausia (F noise)
-
corcodrillus pro bestia in flumine similis lacerte
-
furvus (fulvus) pro brunus (F brun, of Gmc
origin)
-
lebes pro chaldaria (F chaudière)
-
necetur pro occidetur (OF occire to
kill)
-
noverca pro matrasta (F marâtre)
-
pingues pro grassi (form of crassi)
-
problesma pro parabula (F parole)
-
sarcinulas pro saomas
-
stratoria pro lectaria (F litière)
-
subtilissima pro perpititta (F petit (?)
small.
little)
-
ungues pro ungulas (F ongles)
-
vausia pro vomitus
-
vim pro fortiam
III.
A diploma of the 8th century: Formulæ Andecavenses
-
ablata pro blada (F moisson) (n°22)
-
curare pro soniare (n°58)
-
ducta pro menata (F menée) (n°24)
-
vestis pro rauba (F robe) (n°29)
Vocabulary
of the Vulgar Latin
French
Texts: Gallo-Romance Period Main Page
Vulgar
Latin Language Main Page
Orbis Latinus Main
Page
This page is part of Orbis
Latinus
© Zdravko Batzarov