Youssim, M. A.
Latin and Italian as languages of national culture, in: Proslogion: Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Social History and Culture. 2026. 9(1). P. 129–140.
Mark Arkad’evich Youssim, Doctor of History, scientific researcher, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Department of the Western European Middle Ages and Early New Age (119334, Russia, Moscow, Leninskiy Prospekt, 32a)
youssimm@mtu-net.ru
Language: Russian
The Renaissance in Italy was a period of return to classical culture and, at the same time, laid the foundations for the emergence of a new national identity. Ancient models were perceived as an ideal to be aspired to and revived as a native, albeit renewed, tradition. Latin became the language of literature and communication for humanists although writing in the vernacular, the volgare, also existed and underwent significant development. As early as the 14–16th centuries, the so-called «language dispute» arose, centеring on questions regarding the relationship between literary and vernacular languages, the question of which language in Italy should be the language of literature, and the significance of the Tuscan and Florentine dialects in this regard. The line of debate stretches from Dante through Leonardo Bruni and Flavio Biondo to Bembo and Machiavelli, and on to the scholars of the late 16th century. This history has been well and thoroughly studied, but few have asked why Latin was unable to claim the title of the pan-Italian language and why, ultimately, the Florentine dialect came to play this role. Various answers to this question have nevertheless been offered, insofar as it stems from reflections on the fate of Italy and its culture on the eve of the Modern Era.
Keywords: Latin, Italian, Dante, Machiavelli, the language debate, the volgare, the Renaissance
Постоянная ссылка: http://proslogion.ru/91-youssim/
20466845PDFOCR
