Linguistics and Inscriptions

This chapter examines the evolving integration of linguistic methodologies— particularly linguistic annotation—in the study of Ancient Greek and Latin inscriptions, focusing on the recent methodological and technical developments that have enabled the application of digital linguistic analysis to epigraphic texts. Situated at the crossroads of historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, corpus linguistics, epigraphy and the Digital Humanities, it addresses the distinctive characteristics of inscriptional texts and their edition, as well as the specific challenges posed by inscriptions, including (ortho)graphic variation, fragmentariness, and brevity, with reference to both their scholarly investigation and automatic parsing. The chapter surveys a range of digital corpora (some incorporating treebanking) and databases that provide annotated inscriptional data. It also reflects on emerging annotation practices and standards as well as on the implications of these innovations for linguistic research and future interdisciplinary collaboration. In doing so, the chapter underlines the transformative result of the integration of Digital Humanities and Natural Language Processing into epigraphic study for linguistic inquiry.