Dear Graham,
I'll try to answer to your questions.
>1. Are we able to suggest a chronology for the respective shifts, say within
>two centuries, plus a geographic/social milieu?
No, we are not; these shifts are very common in late latin, but some
were already happened in vulgar latin, that is, in texts mirroring the
really spoken language (as several inscriptions). Yes, these things vary a
great deal according to the geographical and especially social milieu:
they are more common in a low social milieu and in the peripheral areas, so
we are unable to find an absolute chronology. The most important thing is
that they must have been typical of the spoken language, and we have, of
course, only written records. But the words of the romance languages, you
know, coming from the spoken late latin forms, mirror these ones for us (so
italian _parete_ from lat. *parjetem, with stressed _e_ , and not from the
classical lat. _parietem_ with vocalic and stressed _i_)
What can I say?After the VI century (perhaps the V, if you think to the
so-called Appendix Probi), one may suppose, the shifts I believe took
place from *Erasmiolus to *Elmo can all be happened in the spoken language
and are very, very common.
>2. The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Names gives the Greek _Erasmios_,
>'Beloved', 'Desired', as the origin for _Erasmus_. Would Erasmiolus then be a
>diminutive form, and am I right in interpreting the shifts you demonstrate as
>working for Erasmiolus but not for Erasmios/Erasmus, and that the suggestion
>might be that the original name for the saint was indeed Erasmiolus?
No. My suggestion was that to the NAME Erasmus (not only of the saint: in
latin it is a usual name, even if it came from Greek), in the vulgar
language, was preferred his diminutive form, as common in late latin:
italian _vecchio_ from vulgar latin *vetulum and not from latin _vetus_ ;
italian _secchia_ from *situla. That is very common for proper names too:
see _Giles_, here below (and I am trying to find more examples with proper
names: I'll let you know, when it comes to my mind!)
So we have doublet, as english Jerry and Jeremy: everyone knows that the
name (and eventually the person) is the same.
>3. If the shift to Elmo took place over a long period of time (I'm anticipating
>your reply to Question 1 here), who would be in a position to know at the end
>of the process that Elmo=Erasmus? (In view of the existence of the Erasmus
>cult at >Rome from at least the ninth century, this may be a very dumb
>question!)
I have answered here above: it seems to me like to say that an englishman
can't know that Jerry is Jeremy. It was not a thing belonging to THIS
particular saint, but concerning ALL the persons whose name was Erasmus! I
remember a similar question concerning St. Giles (in this list? or in Late
Antiquity list? I don't remember now; it was April, I believe), always from
a diminutive form.
So, that is all. I hope I have explained myself (but it is so
complicated, for me, in english! If you understand italian, tell me and I
can write to you off-list with more detailed explications).
ciao
Annalisa
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Annalisa Bracciotti
Università di Udine
E-Mail [log in to unmask]
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