We are delighted to announce the publication of a volume of studies entiteld The Languages of Early Medieval Charters: Latin, Germanic Vernaculars, and the Written Word. Published by Brill and featuring 14 chapters from 15 contributors, this book represents the first major study of the interplay between Latin and Germanic vernaculars in early medieval records. These studies are the fruits of conference panels held at the Leeds International Medieval Congress and the Kalamazoo International Congress on Medieval Studies, and a cycle of lectures held in Vitoria-Gasteiz at the University of the Basque Country. The book brings together exciting new research from a wide range of scholars, from early career researchers to established leading experts, working on such topics as literacy, historical linguistics, multilingualism, communication, administrative practices, legal cultures and more. Almost five years in the making, this volume represents the primary outcome of our project and we are thrilled that it is now available to readers.

Much like our overall project, The Languages of Early Medieval Charters volume seeks to foreground the question of language choice in the documentary practices of early medieval western Europe. Specifically, it examines the interaction between Latin and Germanic vernaculars in the Anglo-Saxon and eastern Frankish worlds and in neighbouring areas. Unlike in Romance-speaking regions, there was a far greater gap between the written word and spoken language in these Germanic-speaking societies, where Latin had to be learned as a second language. This bilingualism has largely been taken for granted, while charters have been neglected in studies of early medieval vernaculars. In fact, multilingual and vernacular documents from Anglo-Saxon England and Carolingian Francia enable us to pose questions about literacy, identity, the relationship between written and oral communication, language choice and code-switching that are not so easily asked of Romance-speaking regions of Europe.