On Medieval Compiling and text Transmission: The Instance of the Chronicle of Benedict from the Monastery of St. Andrew’s on Mount Soracte

Abstract

The Chronicle written during the waning years of the 10^th century by Benedict, monk of St. Andrew’s Monastery on Mount Soracte, is a most interesting example of a compilatory historiographical texts. Among other this Chronicle is full of linguistic forms which, according the norms of classical or even medieval Latin, should be considered erroneous. Nevertheless, this feature which at first may cause problems for the reader, seems to offer research perspectives as yet not explored with this author. At least some of these “errors” are rather recordings of changes in the language, which are most important for diachronic linguistics. Moreover, the “regular” errors committed by the scribe during the process of copying fragments of other sources, can also enlarge our knowledge of medieval scriptoria and the transmission of texts. However, before the stage of drawing conclusions concerning these wider aspects of the medieval culture can be reached, the task of analysing and categorising all grammatical forms, which do not conform with the standard, must be performed first.