Italian Language History

Italian is a Romance language that, through the centuries, has dramatically evolved from its mother tongue, Latin. While currently around 63 million people worldwide speak some form of Italian, this language has a long, fascinating history that has witnessed many linguistic changes.

The first evidence of a decisively Italian text dates back to around 960 BCE. This seminal historical text was a collection of legal writings pertaining to the area known as Benevento.

Since then, the development of dialects, as well as foreign invasions, have shaped the modern language of Italian.

The Early History of the Italian Language

Around 1000 BCE, just after the first Italian texts were written, the history of the Italian language began following the same linguistic path by which many languages have evolved: it began to morph within small localities, creating a number of different dialects.

Lack of transportation, a farming culture and relative peacetime meant these early Italian dialects were left the time needed to adopt regional distinctions based on local culture.

Within four centuries, however, the first move towards finding a common form of Italian was made. In the 1300s, Dante Alighieri blended some Italian dialects – namely the Sicilian and Tuscan varieties – to write his classic collection of epic poems known as La Divina Commedia.

Dante's refined dialectical blend soon became the standard Italian, meaning that this form of Italiano was taught in schools, used in formal writings and widely understood throughout Italy, regardless of the popular regional dialect.
 

Italian in the Middle Ages

Although a primitive form of standard Italian had been born, the Middle Ages brought a pivotal invasion that greatly shaped many Italian dialects.

In the mid-1500s, Spanish forces invaded Italy and occupied half of the country – from its northern border down to the Vatican.

This Spanish presence had an enduring effect on the Italian language. By regularizing the grammar of Italian dialects, Spanish influences effectively simplified the Italian language and made the various dialects conform to Spanish.

Accademia della Crusca: The Embodiment of Modern Standard Italian

As the Modern Age approached, dialects had again gained prominence at the cost of a standard form of Italian. This sparked an intellectual debate between various scholars of the time (including Baldassare Castiglione and Niccolo Machiavelli) over whether the standard or dialectical form of Italian should be most prominent.

Eventually, those in favor of standard Italian prevailed and started the Accademia della Crusca, an official government institution that, since 1582, has been overseeing the preservation of standard Italian.

Shortly after, in 1612, the Accademia della Crusca published the first official Italian dictionary, the Vocabolario della Crusca, which ultimately became the template for future language dictionaries.

French Invasion Promotes Standard Italian

While the Spanish significantly altered the Italian language, Napoleon's 1850 invasion of Italy ironically propelled the language towards its standard form. Interestingly, this French invasion inspired patriotism within Italians. Not only were they incited to unify their country, but they also started taking pride in the standard Italian and made it their official language. This solidified the shift in focus from regional dialects to standard Italian.

Today, Italian is the official language of Italy, Switzerland and San Marino.

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