Comments on the linguistic analysis of forged diplomas

Linguistic and onomastic lessons from the 1082 census of Veszprém

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of the toponymic elements found in a forged charter from Veszprém in Western Hungary, which bears the date 1082 but was composed in the 1320s. The study has a dual aim; first, to assess the historical, linguistic and onomastic value of the document; and second, to contribute to broader scholarship on medieval forgeries. Following a general introduction to the charter and its context, the discussion addresses the chronological stratification of the toponyms and characteristic paleographic features of the source. The core section of the study consists of a dictionary-style analysis of 31 toponyms, whose historical authenticity might plausibly be attributed to the 11^th–12^th centuries, based on an investigation into the charter’s web of contextual details. Each entry includes localization data and an etymological commentary. Based primarily on phonetic and orthographic features, the study attempts to date the toponymic fragments. The findings indicate that the charter preserves only a small number of elements that may genuinely date from the 11^th–12^th centuries and further suggest that a non-extant charter from 1152 may have served as a source for the present forgery.