Religion, Language Maintenance, and Language Shift. Dedications, Cult Places, and Latinization in Roman Gaul

Cazanove, Olivier de ; Estarán Tolosa, María José

En : Social Factors in the Latinization of the Roman West
2023
Oxford University Press Oxford
ISBN: 9780198887294
Pp: 206-236

Resumen: This chapter explores the role of religious practice in the linguistic changes of Roman-period Gaul, both as a conservative factor in the retention of the local language, Gaulish, and as a Latinizing factor. Epigraphic sources show that domain-based choices linked to religious practices can be a crucial factor for evaluating linguistic shift, generating complex and heterogeneous situations during the period where both local and Roman practices coexisted. We argue that in Gaul this transitional period lasted for longer than is usually assumed. These situations are illustrated with relevant case studies of epigraphic ensembles from Vieille-Toulouse and Alesia framed in their archaeological and sociolinguistic context, and a perspective on the pillar of the nautae, an enigmatic piece in the study of the Latinization of Gaul.

Nota: Estarán’s work on this chapter was funded through the Fellowship Ramón y Cajal no. RYC2018-024089-I (Fondo Social Europeo/Agencia Estatal de Investigación).

DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198887294.003.0010