On semantic redundancy in the epigraphs of Moesia Superior

Abstract

In this paper, the principle of semantic redundancy is examined as evidenced in the corpus of the Moesia Superior inscriptions (Inscriptions de la Mésie supérieure – IMS). The objective is to identify pleonastic phrases within the epigraphic material and to distinguish instances of unmotivated redundancy. The starting point is the observation made by Hofmann, Löfstedt, Herman, and others that this type of redundancy, contrary to the pragmatically motivated or “rhetoric” one, could reflect the ongoing semantic change in Vulgar Latin. Given the scarcity of semantic redundancy findings in the IMS corpus, this paper also serves as an introduction to this linguistically important topic.