Au fil des écritures. Phénomènes de plurilinguisme et de plurigraphisme dans les îles méditerranéennes

Contacts between languages and writing systems are a recurrent motif in Mediterranean history. Characterised by linguistic conservatism, but at the same time exposed to a variety of influences, islands represent a privileged space for the analysis of such phenomena. Starting from Cyprus, where an impressive variety of languages and scripts is attested during the first Millennium B. C., through Rhodes and Delos, authentic beating heart of Mediterranean trade in the Hellenistic period, over Sicily, where local and exogenous languages cross and overlap, this paper presents an overview and the main trends of a Mediterranean-wide phenomenon. Beyond Greek-Latin bilingualism, widely diffused in the area according to the progression of Roman power, some well-known languages and scripts (Greek, Phoenician) coexist with others, only locally attested (Eteocypriot, Elymian), on a variety of contexts and media (public decrees, dedications, coins) pointing to the existence of different frameworks of contact and exchange.Cannavó Anna. Au fil des écritures. Phénomènes de plurilinguisme et de plurigraphisme dans les îles méditerranéennes. In: Cahiers du Centre d'Etudes Chypriotes. Volume 46, 2016. Hommage à Antoine Hermary. pp. 113-128