Variants of Octōber in the Latin-Greek Linguistic Domain: Variation and Continuity

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the grapho-phonological variants of Octōber through an examination of the Latin and Greek epigraphic and papyraceous documentation. The records offer a high degree of variability of spelling variants, which can be placed in a line of continui ty with the continuators of Octōber in the European linguistic space. In particular, it is observed that the Octomb - variant with nasal insertion is peculiar to the Greek - speaking area, where it turns out to be documented as early as the 2 nd century BCE; in the Latin - speaking area, on the other hand, the most do cumented variant is Octub - , for which the substratistic hypothesis needs to be revisited.