Note sul latino e l'italiano in Galilei

This article deals with the relationship between Latin and vernacular language within the works of Galileo Galilei. A general introduction is outlined in the first paragraph (§ 1), in which the choice of the language is observed from both an external- and internal-linguistics perspective. It is pointed out, among other things, that the Latin/vernacular alternative has not to be seen in a simplistic way, for instance seeing Latin as the conservative option, whereas vernacular as the progressive one. A brief history of the studies devoted to the topic under discussion is also summarized. In the second paragraph (§ 2), two texts written by Galilei are compared in detail: a) a vernacular letter that he sent to his friend and patron of arts Antonio de’ Medici in January, 1610; b) some passages from the worldwide famous Latin treatise Sidereus nuncius, published in March, 1610, the latter being a translation, or rather a reelaboration, of the first. The comparison concerns not only the lexicon (§ 2.2), which plays undoubtedly an essential role, but also other linguistic levels: morphology (§ 2.1), syntax and text cohesion (§ 2.3). Furthermore, particular attention is constantly paid to rhetorical means employed by Galilei, as well as to pragmatic aspects.