Another look at the Grammatica degl’italiani by Ciro Trabalza and Ettore Allodoli

Abstract

This paper aims to present a further analysis of the Grammatica degl'italiani by Ciro Trabalza and Ettore Allodoli, stigmatized during the twentieth century for its undisputed support of fascist ideology. Without neglecting the question of fascist ideas in this work, our aim is to propose an analysis that is more linguistic than historical-social, and to show that in some chapters, especially those on phonetics and syntax of the period, Grammatica degl’italiani surpasses even its most famous predecessors (Fornaciari and Goidànich). As for fascism, the linguistic analyzes of the present grammar show that the fascist ideology remains only on the surface of the text, especially in the examples cited, and instead we find its lack in some theoretical parts compromised by the choices of the nationalist policy of the regime, such as the polite form, the use of dialects and the use of foreign words and letters.