This volume is the first of two collections of selected papers from the Joint Colloquia on “Variation and Contact in the Ancient Indo-European languages: between Linguistics and Philology”, hosted by the University Pisa (Pisa, April 19–20, 2018) and the University of Oxford (Oxford, May 17–18, 2018). The goal of this joint venture was to provide a unique forum for scholars from different perspectives and research methods who are interested in the ancient Indo-European languages to come together to discuss their research on variation, contact and reconstruction and develop new directions and collaborations in the study of the principles underlying language organization and change. We are very grateful to all supporters, contributors, and especially participants for demonstrating the fundamental role that Historical Linguistics and Indo-European scholarship should and do play in the intellectual discourse and scientific debate.
Many people worked with enthusiasm and tireless work ethic to make this project a success. First and foremost, we wish to acknowledge our friend and colleague Giovanna Marotta, for the invaluable help and fundamental contribution: her guidance and wise suggestions were essential to the positive result of both the conference and the editorial process. As a distinguished member of the Scientific Committee, as a keynote speaker at the Oxford Conference and, most of all, as a constant point of reference for both of us, she is the prima et praecipua movens of this enterprise. We thank all other members of the Scientific and Organizing Committees: Michele Bianconi, Marta Capano, Kerstin Hoge, Elizabeth Tucker, and Andreas Willi. Heartfelt thanks go to the undergraduate and graduate students, and PhD students and Post-Docs, who helped plan every aspect of the Pisa Conference and worked tirelessly to solve any problems and to make participants feel welcome: Fabio Ardolino, Lorenzo Benedetti, Lucia Busso, Roberta Combei, Piero Cossu, Francesca Cotugno, Valeria De Rose, Valentina Elce, Giovanni Luigi Fabbri, Pietro Carlo Maria Giusteri, Giulia Greco, Carolina Marescotti, Duccio Piccardi, Rosso Manuel Senesi, Andrea Sesoldi, Lucia Tamponi, Ottavia Tordini, Francesco Zuin.
The Pisa Conference was made possible by the generous support of the University of Pisa, the Department of Philology, Literature and Linguistics, and the PhD Programme in Philology, Literature and Linguistics of the same University. We wish to thank Claudia Martini, Roberta Ferrari and Marina Foschi, for participating at the opening ceremony, and especially for their welcome speeches. Thanks are also due to the administrative and clerical staff of the Department of Philology, Literature and Linguistics of the University of Pisa, whose collaboration was fundamental to the success of the Conference: Andrea Ardinghi, Ivano Boschetti, Roberta Caponi, Daniela Carmassi, Antonietta Longo, and Annamaria Manetti.
We wish to extend heartfelt thanks to all the scholars who served both in the preliminary review process for the conferences and in the double blind peer-review for the present volume. We owe special thanks to Jóhanna Barðdal, for kindly hosting our volume in the prestigious Series of Brill’s Studies in Historical Linguistics (BSHL): her advice was fundamental to this project. Our sincere gratitude also goes to Valeria De Rose, Giulia Greco, Carolina Marescotti and Edoardo Nardi, for the essential help and precious collaboration during all phases of the editorial process. We also thank Elisa Perotti and Jorik Groen for overseeing the publication.
Our deepest gratitude is dedicated to all Authors of the present volume for the outstanding contributions and the kind collaboration in each phase of the editorial process.
The editing of this volume is part of the PRIN Project on “Ancient languages and writing systems in contact: a touchstone for language change” (2017JBFP9H).
Domenica Romagno and Francesco Rovai