Jezik i grafija revidiranih natpisa
The language and writing system of the revised inscriptions

Summary/Abstract: The anthology of medieval inscriptions collected by Marko Vego remains the fundamental collection of texts engraved on Bosnian and Humian tombstones. The collection contains 325 texts, only some of which comprise multiple clauses and only thirty of which can be read with certainty. Philologists have, in fact, constructed their arguments on the basis of linguistic material presented by historians, archaeologists, theologians, with the result that some of the ideas that have become the established wisdom are actually misleading. Newer linguistic methods, like text linguistics and comparative textological analysis, may allow more reliable readings, however. The approach called text linguistics assumes that each text requires an individualised method, as each text contains peculiarities and patterns unique to it. This method is especially useful for the analysis of damaged or incomplete records which require the reconstruction of segments of text. This paper presents a review of the damaged text from an engraved tablet from Humac. The author is also concerned to re-examine the arbitrary judgements expressed in previous treatments, viz. the assumption that the author was ill-educated and the stonecutter illiterate. Particular attention in this regard is devoted to Vlatko Vlađević’s analysis of the epitaph.

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