Vocali finali in molisano, o dell’importanza dei testi antichi

This article studies the final vowels in a 1361 document, showing that the ancient dialect of Molise still had a six vowels system (/i e a o u/), even if /u/ tended to open to /o/, and thus confirming the idea that the features which characterize the area mediana today covered a larger territory in the Middle Ages. Therefore, in regard to methodology the study argues that before ascribing the variation found in a text to external conditions (e.g. influence of neighbouring dialects), it should be proved that it cannot be explained by internal conditions. Moreover, even though ancient texts may not be a perfect mirror of the spoken language, their evidence is essential to historical linguistics.