My project consists of an analysis of Latin loanwords and their use in Greek documentary texts. I focus on Greek papyri (and ostraca) from Egypt dated to the first two centuries CE, as the Greek speakers of Egypt did not have a long period of prior exposure to Latin at this early stage.
My dissertation will try to answer questions such as: why did Greek speakers start inserting and using Latin in their speeches? Who is mainly responsible for the beginning of this process? Is it mainly soldiers, merchants, or ordinary men and women? And why can a Latin loanword be preferred (or not) over a Greek word with the same meaning?
When I’m not into language contact, looking for fantastic loanwords and where to find them, I love to do papyrology, as only here can even tax rolls (which you may think of as the most arid texts) disclose links to Callimachus (P.Mich. IV), our interpretation of history and the lives of people just like us.
