Definitions, dialectic and Irish grammatical theory in Carolingian glosses on Priscian: a case study using a close and distant reading approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article investigates the links between a group of early medieval (ninth century) glossed copies of Priscian’s Institutiones grammaticae, including manuscripts from the Irish tradition as well as Carolingian manuscripts without overt Insular connections. The corpus comprises glosses on the chapter De uoce from eight manuscripts. Both Latin and Old Irish glosses are considered. The data is explored with a multi-disciplinary approach combining methodologies of network analysis, philology and intellectual history. At first, network analysis helps to establish overarching connections between the manuscripts based on their shared parallel glosses. These results are corroborated by a case-study of a pair of glosses which occurs across a number of manuscripts and whose origin can be traced back to Hiberno-Latin grammatical commentaries of the eighth and ninth centuries. Abbreviations: Ambros.: Ars Ambrosiana; Bern.: Ars Bernensis; Clem.: Clemens Scottus, Ars grammatica; DO: Donatus Ortigraphus, Ars grammatica; GL: Grammatici Latini; Laur.: Ars Laureshamensis; Mur.: Murethach, In Donati artem maiorem; Sed.: Sedulius Scottus, In Donati artem maiorem.