Abstract
<jats:p>The study aims to establish how the rhetorical tactic of persuasion through an appeal to authority changes when medieval Latin sermons by Berthold of Regensburg are adapted for a German-speaking audience. The article examines the compositional role and linguistic means of expressing references to an authoritative source in the author’s Latin and German texts (introduction of biblical quotations, appeal to ecclesiastical authorities and the authority of saints). The “rhetorical dialogue” technique, which introduces the figure of the preacher as a new source of authoritative judgment in German-language texts, is described. The case of using the graphic form of the Latin expression “homo Dei” (man of God) as a visual argument that increases the illocutionary force of the utterance is presented. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the following: for the first time, models of reproducing Latin quotations in Berthold of Regensburg’s German texts have been identified and systematized. Moreover, the reduction of Latin quotations in the German text is compensated by the introduction of a new authoritative source of knowledge – the preacher. As a result of the study, it was established that when transitioning to the vernacular (Middle High German), the authority of Scripture and saints is partially replaced by the authority of the speaker (preacher); furthermore, Latin acquires a pragmatic function as a sacred marker, reinforcing the persuasiveness of the utterance.</jats:p>