Ешь, молись, люби

Chapter 15

           Therefore,whatwetodaycallFrenchisreallyaversionofmedievalParisian.PortugueseisreallyLisboan.SpanishisessentiallyMadrileno.Thesewerecapitalistvictories;thestrongestcityultimatelydeterminedthelanguageofthewholecountry.

           Italywasdifferent.Onecriticaldifferencewasthat,forthelongesttime,Italywasn’tevenacountry.Itdidn’tgetitselfunifieduntilquitelateinlife(1861)anduntilthenwasapeninsulaofwarringcity-statesdominatedbyproudlocalprincesorotherEuropeanpowers.PartsofItalybelongedtoFrance,partstoSpain,partstotheChurch,partstowhoevercouldgrabthelocalfortressorpalace.TheItalianpeoplewerealternativelyhumiliatedandcavalieraboutallthisdomination.Mostdidn’tmuchlikebeingcolonizedbytheirfellowEuropeans,buttherewasalwaysthatapatheticcrowdthatsaid,"FranzaoSpagna,purchesemagna,"whichmeans,indialect,"FranceorSpain,aslongasIcaneat."

           AllthisinternaldivisionmeantthatItalyneverproperlycoalesced,andItaliandidn’teither.Soit’snotsurprisingthat,forcenturies,Italianswroteandspokeinlocaldialectsthatweremutuallyunfathomable.AscientistinFlorencecouldbarelycommunicatewithapoetinSicilyoramerchantinVenice(exceptinLatin,ofcourse,whichwashardlyconsideredthenationallanguage).Inthesixteenthcentury,someItalianintellectualsgottogetheranddecidedthatthiswasabsurd.ThisItalianpeninsulaneededanItalianlanguage,atleastinthewrittenform,whicheveryonecouldagreeupon.

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