Philology and the History of Words: Some Notes on the Humanists’ Etymological Argumentation

The article concerns the influence of humanist scholarship on sixteenth-century etymological practices, testified in Neo-Latin reference works and special treatises linguistics history. Being an important part historical research, which relied mostly Greek Latin literary sources, etymology could not but adopt some principles instruments contemporary philological work, notably source criticism. foremost rule was to study sources their original language, form, eliminate any corrupted data as well information attested written sources. This presumed that every text had its own history, tended be a gradual deterioration state, represented manuscript tradition subject scribal errors misinterpretations. view textual history strikingly consonant with languages, treated by humanists permanent corruption inevitable degeneration from noble perfect state ancient ancestors. In effort restore text, philology used emendation cure for abuse losses; likewise, language historians tool, namely etymology, reconstruct explain form words (including nomenclature various sciences). intersection both procedures is taken into account it demonstrates how conjectures, collation, graphical interpretation misreadings were employed scholars corroborate speculations, established themselves one ways reception criticism classical scholarly heritage.