UTVECKLINGEN AV IS OCH ILLE FRÅN 100-TALET F.KR. TILL MODERN TID. En kort datalingvistisk studie

Abstract

This student thesis deals with the diachronic evolution of the Latin demonstrative pronoun and determiner ille at the expense of the anaphoric pronoun and determiner is, which heralds a later development towards the definite article in Romance languages. The phenomenon is analyzed through a general theory about language change in Latin, according to which developments which can be observed in early Romance are by and large not visible in Latin literature, since they are assumed to take place mainly in low-register, unrecorded varieties. A quantitative approach is taken, based on Barbara McGillivray’s framework of Latin computational linguistics. Frequencies of is and ille are compiled from a mixed corpus of just short of ten million words, consisting of texts from 2nd century B.C. to modern times, and attention is paid to different predictors such as century and genre. The results show that an expansion of ille can be observed in the material – albeit sometimes with considerable difficulties – and more so during specific periods of time and in some text types as dialogues and speeches. This goes to say that the phenomenon at hand may not be as submerged as is believed.