Description
Book SynopsisThis monograph 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 for the first time and made available to a wider public. Sources range from more
Trade ReviewThis excellent study ... [is] a thorough and original treatment of a hitherto unexplored aspect of Italian linguistic and literary history. ... It will surely become a standard reference for scholars in linguistic and women's history alike. * Paul Gehl, Historiographia Linguistica *
"[An] excellent and stimulating study ... richly detailed and illustrated. * Jane Everson, Times Literary Supplement *
Sanson's excellent study proposes a different way of looking at the development of the Italian standard language according to women's perspective ... [it] opens the path for further research in this field ... We wish this book could be translated into Italian. * Jolanda Guardi, Gender and Language *
Helena Sanson's book ... stands out for its thorough coverage and its rigorous use of documentary evidence. * Francesco Sberlati, Modern Language Review *
An excellent study ... [T]he richness of little-known material brought together and discussed ... is simply astounding [...] reading this learned ... highly enjoyable book is particularly satisfying ... this volume will remain forever as a milestone in the study of women's contribution to linguistics and the study of grammar. * Diego Zancani, Letteratura italiana antica *
Table of ContentsPROLOGUE: ON GRAMMAR AND WOMEN ; PART I (SIXTEENTH-SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES) ; PART TWO (EIGHTEENTH-EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURIES) ; PART THREE (THE NINETEENTH CENTURY)
