OLD PERSEANS
Research Influences on the standardisation of modern Italian: Applying the frameworks of Haugen and Joseph
in the emerging dialect’s prestige to outsiders and changes in attitudes of speakers within the speech community; (5) change or increase in influence of cultural avant-garde; (6) change in the language’s writing system and use in writing; (7) codification of the dialect’s grammar; (8) change in functional range; (9) desire to change (usually reduce) internal variation within a speech community; and (10) change in the standard’s status (Joseph, 1987). As Romance languages, Italian dialects descend from Vulgar Latin, the heterogeneous colloquial forms of the Roman Empire’s lingua franca. Due to the vast extent of Latin’s imposition, great linguistic variation developed on regional and social levels. The distinguishable development of Italian began in the fifth century, after the fall of the Roman Empire. At this point, most people spoke local vernaculars evolved from Vulgar Latin, although Classical Latin, Europe’s established written language, was still used in European universities and churches (J:4,5). Of all the modern Italian dialects, Florentine is closest to Classical Latin, which already had a codified grammatical system and elaborated vocabulary (H:2,3), facilitating Florentine’s establishment as a standard language.
GEORGINA FOLLOWS
Florentine’s selection as standard was influenced
(UPPER SIXTH)
perhaps most significantly by Dante Alighieri (1265–
T
1321), arguably the early Renaissance’s most influential oday 34 native Italian dialects are spoken,
writer. Dante’s Commedia (1307–1321), unparalleled in
central to Italy’s cultural identity and reflecting
other dialects, first formalised Florentine and, thanks to its wide-reaching publication and popularity,
its history as independent states until 1861.
established this as Italy’s ‘literary’ language (J:4,5,6).
Since its unification, however, Italy has adopted Florentine as its standard language, officially since 2007.
Meanwhile, other dialects were predominantly spoken,
I explored the process of this standardisation, relating
failing to meet Joseph’s requirement for a standard
to frameworks composed by linguists John Earl Joseph
language to have an established writing system.
and Einar Haugen.
Florence was also a renowned place for learning and home to the House of Medici’s vastly influential
Joseph writes that for a ‘standard’ language to exist there must exist non-standard varieties, a normative
political and artistic dynasties (1434–1737), with
grammar, an established writing system and the ability
clients such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Machiavelli and
to translate into another standard (Joseph, 1987).
Galileo reinforcing the prestige of Florence’s culture
Haugen identifies four stages of standardisation:
and dialect (J:4,5). Dante’s extensive writing along
(1) selection of norm (2) codification (creation of a
with Renaissance Florence’s cultural and political
model of standard usage), (3) elaboration of function
significance meant that when a universal language was
(enhancement into a ‘developed’ language), and (4)
needed Florentine would almost inevitably be selected. With Italy’s unification in 1861 came a desire to
acceptance by community (Haugen, 1966). These
reduce the country’s internal linguistic variation
stages are not necessarily chronological or mutually exclusive, though selection generally occurs first. I
to facilitate nationwide communication and create
mainly explored Italian’s selection and acceptance,
a sense of national identity (J:1,8,9). Florentine
many influences over which correlate with Joseph’s
had already emerged as dominant, and by the
factors affecting standardisation: (1) redefinition of
19th Century had spread widely enough to be selected
a speech community; (2) emergence of a dominant
as a common language (J:2/H:1). Being an intermediary
dialect; (3) change in degree of ‘abstand’; (4) change
between Italy’s northern and southern dialects, already
10
