Per una definizione di 'frammento documentario' nella documentazione in lingua e scrittura slava di Istria e Dalmazia

This paper analyses the introduction of the Slavic language and scripts into the writing of notarial acts in medieval Istria and Dalmatia. Use of Latin and Italian by notaries was common in the legal practices adopted in independent towns (Comuni) and municipalities under the Venetian dominion. It is less clear how, and in what circumstances, the Venetian juridical system allowed writing of documents in the Slavic spoken language (i.e. different Croatian dialects) using Glagolitic or Cyrillic script. As the only official languages were Latin and Italian, there is a need for a detailed study to establish at which stage of the documentation process such Slavic documents were admitted: 1) at the level of public faith (fides publica); 2) only at the level preliminary draft; 3) as an unofficial translation to help the involved parties if they didn’t know Latin or Italian. In addition, it also has to be ascertained when and by virtue of which rules a notary could be authorised to use Slavic language and script in issuing documents having public faith. Resolution of these issues is a necessary precondition for establishing what is to be considered a ‘documentary fragment’ in the Venetian Dalmatia. Although such resolution requires much more extensive studies, this paper makes an effort to place some Slavic fragments in the broader framework of documentary practice attested in the region.