The history of the Italian language helps you understand the nuances and cultural depth behind it. Read this article to discover how Italian was born.
Italy is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of history, culture, and art—and this heritage is reflected in the richness and uniqueness of its linguistic system. That’s why learning about the history of the Italian language also means gaining a deeper understanding of the culture, philosophy, and values of the people who speak it.
Italian also has founding figures who have left an indelible mark not only on our way of expressing ourselves but also on world literature and culture as a whole.
So, if you truly want to immerse yourself in “italianità”, the essence of being Italian, you must explore the origins of its language.
In this article, we’ll give you key insights into how the Italian language was born, which you can further explore with the support of Centro Studi Italiani.
When did the Italian language originate?
The history of the Italian language is deeply intertwined with the history of Latin and its gradual evolution over the centuries. As we’ll see, there was never a precise breaking point between the two, which makes it impossible to pinpoint the exact moment when Italian was born.
Like all Romance languages, Italian developed through a gradual linguistic transformation of what was known as “Vulgar Latin”.
Don’t be misled by the word “vulgar”—in this context, it simply means “spoken”. Vulgar Latin was, in fact, the everyday language used by everyone—from the wealthy to the poor, from the illiterate to intellectuals—throughout the early and late Roman Empire.
This living, spoken Latin naturally diversified into regional dialects over time. Among these, the dialect of 14th-century Florence eventually became the foundation of modern Italian.
In simple terms, Italian was born when speakers became aware that what they were using was no longer Latin, but something new—a distinct language in its own right.
Most scholars identify “Il Placito di Capua”, a legal document dated 960 AD, as the first written text in early Italian. This court ruling is particularly significant because, for the first time, the vernacular—rather than Classical Latin—was used to record a farmer’s testimony.
These are fascinating aspects of the history of the Italian language that you can explore in depth by enrolling in one of our Italian culture courses at Centro Studi Italiani.
Who are the founding fathers of the Italian language?
If “Il Placito di Capua” was the first written document to officially mark the use of Italian, the true shaping of the language came from the art of poets and writers whose works defined its form and beauty.
They are known as the fathers of the Italian language because of the decisive role they played in the creation, refinement, and codification of what we now recognize as Italian.
As you probably know, the foremost figure among them is Dante Alighieri. Between around 1307 and 1321, Dante chose to write “La Divina Commedia” in the Tuscan vernacular rather than in Latin. This groundbreaking decision profoundly influenced the history of the Italian language, elevating the spoken dialect to the status of a literary language.
With his “Canzoniere”, the poet Francesco Petrarca (1304–1374) further advanced the spread of Tuscan Italian, enriching it with new words, expressions, and a refined poetic style.
Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) also played a key role in consolidating the use of the vernacular. By choosing to write in Florentine dialect, particularly in his “Decameron”, he made written culture more accessible, bringing literature closer to everyday people.
Finally, in the 19th century, Alessandro Manzoni made a decisive contribution to the unification of the Italian language with his 1827 masterpiece “I Promessi Sposi” (The Betrothed), which established Florentine Tuscan as the linguistic standard for modern Italian.
Each of these authors left a lasting legacy, enriching the Italian vocabulary with new words, idioms, and stylistic nuances that continue to shape how Italians speak and write today.
Discover the history of the Italian language with Centro Studi Italiani!
At Centro Studi Italiani, we believe that learning Italian means much more than studying grammar and vocabulary, it means embracing the culture that shaped the language itself. That’s why our mission has always been to combine linguistic education with a deep cultural experience.
Our Italian language and culture course has been designed with this philosophy in mind. Alongside your language lessons, you’ll take part in engaging cultural activities and afternoon excursions that bring Italy’s history and traditions to life.
These experiences include in-depth explorations of Italian art, literature, history, and customs and, of course, the history of the Italian language itself.
You’ll also enjoy guided visits to some of Italy’s most iconic cities, including Florence, the very birthplace of the Italian language. This way, while you learn about the evolution of Italian in class, you’ll also experience firsthand the places where it all began.
This is what we at Centro Studi Italiani call a truly 100% Italian experience: learning the language while living its history, culture, and spirit every day.
