Italian language
Italian is a Romance language descended from Latin, spoken chiefly in Italy and used officially in several countries and institutions.
Latin: An ancient Indo-European language that developed in Rome and became the ancestor of the Romance languages. Italian descends from Latin, preserving and reshaping its vocabulary and grammatical structures.
Dante Alighieri: A medieval Florentine poet whose works include the Divine Comedy, written in the vernacular. His literary prestige helped establish Tuscan as a model for written Italian.
Italian phonology: The sound system of Italian, including its vowel contrasts, consonant patterns, and stress rules. Its sound patterns account for Italian’s characteristic pronunciation and spelling relationships.
Italy: A country in southern Europe whose peninsula extends into the Mediterranean Sea. Italian is the country’s official language and the first language of most residents.
Language standardization: The process of selecting, codifying, and promoting a language variety as a shared standard. It transformed a literary norm into a common reference for Italian public life.
Romance languages: A family of languages descended from spoken Latin, including Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. Italian shares its historical roots and many structural features with this language family.
Divine Comedy: Dante’s early fourteenth-century narrative poem, composed in a Tuscan vernacular rather than Latin. Its wide influence strengthened the standing of the vernacular that shaped Italian.
Italian grammar: The rules governing word forms and sentence structure in Italian. Its verb inflection, agreement, and article system organize meaning in Italian sentences.
San Marino: A small, landlocked republic in the Apennines, surrounded by Italy. Italian is San Marino’s official language.
Italian education system: The institutions and policies through which Italy provides formal education. Compulsory schooling spread standard Italian to children whose families often spoke regional varieties.