Helena Sanson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264836
- eISBN:
- 9780191754043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264836.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This chapter examines women's linguistic education in Cinquecento Italy and the role played by the vernacular in making knowledge more accessible to the less educated, and particularly to women. ...
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This chapter examines women's linguistic education in Cinquecento Italy and the role played by the vernacular in making knowledge more accessible to the less educated, and particularly to women. Women's language, according to men of letters and theorists, was simple and devoid of refinement, but also pure and conservative. Women's role as linguistic educators of their offspring could only be a limited one, circumscribed to the first years of childhood: a girl's education usually remained confined within a domestic environment dominated by the vernacular, and removed from the universe of classical languages and more advanced studies that was a privilege of the lucky few. With the development and spread of the printing press, women came to be seen as a new, profitable sector of the publishing market. They became the target of a variety of works that brought the literary vernacular within their reach. A determining role in helping to spread the literary vernacular across different social classes was played by Petrarchism, and the prestige of the written vernacular allowed for the expression of the voices and talents of women writers. Discussions on language were not merely arid scholarly lucubrations. They had become a fashionable topic that pervaded courtly and upper-class society and concerned men and women alike, with women's presence also occasionally directly gracing the more traditional realms of male linguistic erudition.Less
This chapter examines women's linguistic education in Cinquecento Italy and the role played by the vernacular in making knowledge more accessible to the less educated, and particularly to women. Women's language, according to men of letters and theorists, was simple and devoid of refinement, but also pure and conservative. Women's role as linguistic educators of their offspring could only be a limited one, circumscribed to the first years of childhood: a girl's education usually remained confined within a domestic environment dominated by the vernacular, and removed from the universe of classical languages and more advanced studies that was a privilege of the lucky few. With the development and spread of the printing press, women came to be seen as a new, profitable sector of the publishing market. They became the target of a variety of works that brought the literary vernacular within their reach. A determining role in helping to spread the literary vernacular across different social classes was played by Petrarchism, and the prestige of the written vernacular allowed for the expression of the voices and talents of women writers. Discussions on language were not merely arid scholarly lucubrations. They had become a fashionable topic that pervaded courtly and upper-class society and concerned men and women alike, with women's presence also occasionally directly gracing the more traditional realms of male linguistic erudition.
Helena Sanson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264836
- eISBN:
- 9780191754043
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264836.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This book examines the relationship between women, language, and grammar with particular reference to the Italian context between the sixteenth and the end of the nineteenth century, from the ...
More
This book examines the relationship between women, language, and grammar with particular reference to the Italian context between the sixteenth and the end of the nineteenth century, from the codification of Italian as a literary language to the formation of a unified state. It investigates the role played by women in the Italian linguistic tradition as addressees, readers, or authors of grammatical texts. In spite of the ever-growing interest in different aspects of women's life in the Western world through the centuries, little attention has been given up to now to women's linguistic education, their relationship with grammar, and the ideas about their use of language. In the context of Italy, these questions were virtually unexplored. This study is the result of extensive first-hand research and detailed analysis of primary sources (well-known texts, as well as minor and rare ones), brought together and made available to a wider public. Sources range from more specifically linguistic writings, to texts on women's education and conduct books, from literary works (e.g., novels, short stories, poetry, plays, satirical writings, children's literature), to official government documents, newspaper articles, women's magazines, school texts, letters, and memoirs). The book's interdisciplinary approach and the richness of its sources make it an engaging journey across four centuries in the history of the Italian language, the history of grammar, the history of linguistic thought, and the history of women and their education. Relevant illustrations accompany the book, offering readers a visual appreciation and understanding of its subjects and themes.Less
This book examines the relationship between women, language, and grammar with particular reference to the Italian context between the sixteenth and the end of the nineteenth century, from the codification of Italian as a literary language to the formation of a unified state. It investigates the role played by women in the Italian linguistic tradition as addressees, readers, or authors of grammatical texts. In spite of the ever-growing interest in different aspects of women's life in the Western world through the centuries, little attention has been given up to now to women's linguistic education, their relationship with grammar, and the ideas about their use of language. In the context of Italy, these questions were virtually unexplored. This study is the result of extensive first-hand research and detailed analysis of primary sources (well-known texts, as well as minor and rare ones), brought together and made available to a wider public. Sources range from more specifically linguistic writings, to texts on women's education and conduct books, from literary works (e.g., novels, short stories, poetry, plays, satirical writings, children's literature), to official government documents, newspaper articles, women's magazines, school texts, letters, and memoirs). The book's interdisciplinary approach and the richness of its sources make it an engaging journey across four centuries in the history of the Italian language, the history of grammar, the history of linguistic thought, and the history of women and their education. Relevant illustrations accompany the book, offering readers a visual appreciation and understanding of its subjects and themes.
