Phonological Variables

Aspects of variations in Byzantine Greek Documents of the patriarchal chancellery of Constantinople (14th c.)

“…After a brief overview of particular features of Greek contemporary to the patriarchal register and differences between spoken and written Greek the article outlines the nuances in the documents and orthographic problems a Greek was confronted with because, in contrast to the majority of the Constantinopolitan clergy, the (orthographically well-trained) officials of the chancellery did not make phonetic mistakes (for the sociolinguistic aspect of orthography see Rutkoswka and Rössler 2012, Hebda 2012, Auer & Voeste 2012. Three case studies at the end will exemplify the intentional use of a low register Greek with spoken language elements as a kind of lingua franca for addressees outside the (political) Byzantine Empire, but only in the category of letters, whereas standardized patriarchal / synodic orders and decisions adhere to the formulaic schemes and the linguistic register of koine Greek, i. e. the general literary Greek of that time holding a middle position between the high register of atticizing Greek and the low register of contemporary "spoken" Greek as reflected in literary.…”