Frannie: Hi Jim
Jim: Oh, hi Fran
Frannie: I guess you're as horrified by tomorrow's exam as I am
Jim: I guess so too
Frannie: I didn't really understand the part about substrata and superstrata
Jim: It's easy actually, plus there is a good Wikipedia page about them XD
Frannie: I trust your notes from class more than Wiki
Jim: And rightly so! Anyway
Frannie: I'm listening (or rather reading)
Jim: A substratum or substrate is essentially a language that existed in a given territory before another language
Frannie: Ok
Jim: Then people speaking a different language arrived in that territory and slowly their language became the dominant one
Frannie: And then the older language influences the new one, right?
Jim: Yes. The substratum slowly disappears but leaves some traces in the new language (the superstratum) like some words, pronunciation aspects and so on
Frannie: Ok, so for example the Etruscan language was the substratum and Latin the superstratum, right?
Jim: Yes, and Etruscan influenced the local variety of latin in later centuries
Frannie: Ok
Jim: I have a question too
Frannie: You? I thought you were Mr. Perfect Notes
Jim: I am, but I missed two lessons in November
Frannie: Ok
Jim: So... what was exactly the story with the name "Mediolanum"?
Frannie: Ok, I know this one. In the ancient Celtic languages the Indoeuropean consonant "p" wasn't pronounced, for example the word for "father" was "athir" (vs. "pater" in Latin for example). So according to many scholars "Mediolanum" came from "medio-" and "planum" because there is no "p", so it's basically "in the middle of the plane".
Jim: Ok! Thanks
Frannie: You're more than welcome, you helped me too
Jim: ;)
Frannie: Good luck for tomorrow!
Jim: Godspeed!
Frannie and Jim are worrying about their exam tomorrow. Frannie uses Jim's notes. Jim explains the notions of substrata, superstrata, and Mediolanum to her.