ABSTRACT
Luca Boschetto
Latin and vernacular in Florence during the mid-1440s
Between 1430s and 1440s, the prolonged permanence of the papal court in Florence played a crucial role in animating cultural and linguistic debates. This article analyzes works composed at that time, like the Vita civile by Matteo Palmieri, the De pictura and the Famiglia, by Leon Battista Alberti e the Dialogus consolatorius by Giannozzo Manetti, as part of a project aimed at praising the vernacular as a language of elevated discourse. Furthermore, the article takes into consideration the epistle De verbis romanae locutionis by Biondo Flavio, highlighting its connections to the social and linguistic context of Florence, in a moment in which the city was exposed to intellectual exchanges and interactions. These considerations will allow to offer more precise coordinates for two of Alberti’s linguistic masterpieces: the preface to the III book of the Famiglia and the Grammatichetta.
