Unequal Granularity : The Lexicographical Treatment of Basque, Occitan, and Sicilian Borrowings in Spanish
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2026 |
| Druh | Další prezentace na konferencích |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Popis | Historical contact between Peninsular Spanish and its neighbors has resulted in a stratified lexicon where etymological attribution often reflects political prestige rather than linguistic reality. This paper examines the "granularity bias" in Spanish lexicography by comparing the treatment of loanwords from three distinct sources: Basque, Occitan, and Sicilian varieties. I argue that while the Diccionario de la lengua espanola (DLE) and Corominas’ Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (DCECH) exhibit hyper-awareness regarding Basque borrowings, they frequently obscure Occitan and Sicilian inputs under the monolithic labels of "Old French" and "Italian," respectively. Methodologically, this study conducts a comparative analysis of the DLE (23rd ed.) and the DCECH. The corpus consists of entries tagged with the etymological labels del vasco (Basque), del provenzal/occitano (Occitan), and del italiano (Italian). These entries were cross-referenced against historical phonological markers specific to the source languages— such as the Sicilian vocalic outcome of Latin short vowels or Occitan palatalizations—to verify the accuracy of the lexicographical attribution and identify patterns of erasure. The analysis reveals three distinct trends. First, regarding the Basque adstrate, Spanish lexicography demonstrates high visibility, correctly identifying vasquismos. However, the DLE frequently over-attributes words of uncertain Romance origin to Basque based on superficial phonological traits (e.g., f- > h- aspiration) rather than textual evidence, a tendency Corominas partially corrects but does not eliminate. Second, the paper addresses the erasure of Occitan (Langue d'oc). Despite the massive lexical influx via the Camino de Santiago, the DLE frequently subsumes Occitanisms under "Old French" (francés antiguo). By analyzing terms like hostal and lisonja, I show how phonetic markers distinct to Occitan are often ignored in favor of a simplified "Gallic" etymology. Finally, the paper critiques the treatment of Sicilian and Southern Italian varieties. Despite centuries of Aragonese rule over the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Spanish lexicography rarely distinguishes sicilianismos from standard italianismos. I analyze maritime and administrative vocabulary to argue that terms labeled broadly as "Italian" often display phonological shifts characteristic of the Mezzogiorno rather than Tuscany. By triangulating these three case studies, this study concludes that Spanish etymological labeling is not neutral but is filtered through a lens of proximity and prestige. I propose a revised framework for lexicographical annotation that prioritizes historical contact zones over modern national standardizations. |
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