Prose della volgar lingua

Prose della volgar lingua (1525) is a seminal work by Pietro Bembo, a Renaissance cardinal and scholar. This text is considered one of the earliest Italian grammars and played a crucial role in establishing the Italian literary language.1

In Prose della volgar lingua, Bembo codified Italian orthography and grammar, advocating for 14th-century Tuscan as the standard model for literary Italian. He drew inspiration primarily from the works of Petrarch and Boccaccio, deeming Dante's style less consistent. Bembo's views, though initially contested by those who favored contemporary usage or Dante's style, ultimately triumphed by the end of the 16th century. This standardization was essential for the development of a unified Italian literary language.12