Accademia della Crusca
The
Accademia della Crusca is an
Italian institution that brings together scholars and experts in Italian linguistics and philology. It was founded in
Florence in
1583 by
Antonio Francesco Grazzini, and has remained well known for its mission to maintain the "purity" of the original
Italian language. In
1612 the Academy published the first edition of the Dictionary of the Italian Language, which also served as a model for subsequent dictionaries in
French,
Spanish,
German and
English.
Currently, the dictionary maintained by the Academy is a historical work describing the Italian language of
1612.
On
3 March 1809 the throne of
Tuscany passed to Lady
Elisa Baciocchi, the sister of
Napoleon Bonaparte. Baciocchi, however, was not able to modify or create laws; these remained under the control of her brother. As a result, all laws, proclamations, letters, manifestos, edicts, and other legal documents were written in French. This imposition of a foreign language exacerbated feelings of discontent among the Tuscan people, and word of this discontent was brought to the attention of the French court by don
Neri Corsini.
The French had previously invaded the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1799, declaring themselves to be protectors of the Tuscan people. They took control without firing a single shot, and immediately took on the role of new rulers: they imprisoned
Ferdinand III, imposed new laws and appropriated as much money as they could find. The Florentines began to call the French
nuvoloni (clouds) in imitation of the French words that began every proclamation and decree:
"Nous voulons..." The French, along with their local supporters, were soon detested by the Tuscan people, and this manifested in revolts in several Tuscan cities which succeeded in defeating the French army and pushing the French out of
Florence.
Napoleon likely kept the memory of this brief occupation in mind when returning to Tuscany, and thus understood that it was best concede a small amount to the Tuscan people in order to keep discontent at easily controlled levels.
On
9 April 1809, Napoleon gave the Florentines the right to use their own language in a decree sent from the Tuileries Palace. In this decree he affirmed that
"The Italian language may be used in Tuscany alongside the French language, in the courts, in notarized acts and in private." In a further attempt to display benevolence, Napoleon continued:
"We have created an annual prize of 500 napoleons, which will be administered by our civil service and will be presented to the authors whose works contribute with the greatest effect to the maintenance of the Italian language in all of its purity."
|
Biblioteca Riccardiana, one of the holdings of Accademia della Crusca. |
Every so often Napoleon put forth laws in favour of the Florentines, such as the decree of
9 January 1811 which reestablished the former Accademia della Crusca,
"particularly charged with the revision of the dictionary of the Italian language, and with the conservation of the purity of such." Thanks in part to the reopening of the Academy, the fifth edition of the Dictionary was published. The Academy's scholars were given an annual salary of 500 francs, 1000 francs were paid to those charged with the compilation of the dictionary, and 1200 francs were paid to the secretary of the Academy.
In
1813 the Accademia della Crusca acquired the
Biblioteca Riccardiana, an important collection of texts and manuscripts.
*
Official website (in
English and
Italian)
