Correctness in Comparison. Negotiating Linguistic Norms in Greek from the Imperial Roman until the Later Byzantine Period (I?XV c. AD)

Klaas Bentein, Andrea Massimo Cuomo (eds). Pages: 320 p.Language(s):English. Publication Year:2026. Brepols. ISBN: 978-2-503-61910-1. Paperback - Summary This volume examines the relationship between linguistic usage and the norms that define it within the Greek language. Covering the Imperial Age, Byzantine period, and Renaissance, it draws on a wide range of sources—including literary texts, documentary material, and grammatical treatises—to trace the evolving concept of linguistic correctness. Bringing together specialists in Post-classical and Medieval Greek, the volume investigates how linguistic norms and standards were shaped by their sociocultural and historical contexts. In addition to its exploration of theoretical frameworks for linguistic correctness, the volume addresses key themes such as the interaction between high and low registers in official documents and the contributions of Byzantine grammarians to the development of syntactic and stylistic conventions. Incorporating approaches from (historical) sociolinguistics, the collection underscores the dynamic nature of Greek as it balanced tradition and innovation. Scholars of Greek language and linguistics will find in this volume a valuable resource for understanding the interplay of language, culture, and history across centuries. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction by Klaas Bentein and Andrea Cuomo Eleni Bozia, Hippocentaurs and Litigating Consonants: Imperial authors’ arguments for language renewal Olga Tribulato, Correctness, Prescriptivism, Purism: The Case of Atticism Martin Hinterberger, Outrageous spelling, impossible forms. Linguistic correctness and the editing of Byzantine texts or Why not to intervene correctively in certain cases Klaas Bentein, Registerial hybridity in an Early Byzantine official archive. Making a case for historical diaglossia? Maria Rosa Giuseppina De Luca, Searching for standards. A morpho-syntactic study on chrysobulls of the Komnenian era compared to Anna Komnene’s and Niketas Choniates’ historical works Mariarosaria Zinzi, Some socio-historical remarks on the Greek of imperial documents of the Palaiologan period Maria Giovanna Sandri, Diachronic variations in the ancient theory of breathings Baukje van den Berg, Linguistic Correctness between Grammar and Style in Byzantine Scholarship: Eustathios in Context Staffan Wahlgren, Byzantine Grammarians and Syntactic Normativity Raf van Rooy, Byzantine Greek language norms in Renaissance practice: Theodore Gaza and the Collegium Trilingue in Leuven Enrico Cerroni, The third person plural ending -ασι(ν) of the aorist: diachronic and stylistic issues. …