SOME DIACHRONIC CONSIDERATIONS ON THE CASTILIAN TERMS <em>TROJ</em> AND <em>BOJ</em>

Abstract

It is widely accepted that the Castilian word troj (partitioned space, compartment) derives from a Vulgar Latin form *TRŎXE, which is also responsible for various related High Aragonese variants. However, precisely these variants rule out the proposed vocalism in the etymon and a slightly different alternative is required, one that would also have to be in the root of the Castilian term. This article therefore seeks to prove the above etymological change, as well as to draw attention to the phonetic parallel between the term boj (‘Buxus sempervirens’) and troj, which in turn leads to some reasonable doubts surrounding the idea that it constitutes a simple adaptation to the Spanish phonetic system of a loan word attributable to another Peninsular Romance language (Catalan, Aragonese).