Page 33 - Mediterraneo e dintorni - nr 9
P. 33

Riproduzione del frontespizio
                                                         del Vocabolario della Crusca


            riceverla, più di quello che gli det-  Napoleone, infatti, volle che, una
            terà  il  suo  giudizio».  Da  questo   volta ricostruita l’Accademia Fio-
            momento  in  poi  la  vita  dell’Ac-  rentina, questa venisse suddivisa
            cademia  sarà indissolubilmente   in  tre  classi:  del  Cimento,  della
            legata  all’evoluzione  della  sua   Crusca e del Disegno. La situazio-
            opera maggiore, il Vocabolario, le   ne non durò a lungo, e già nel 1811
                                              un decreto del 19 gennaio vedeva
                                              riconosciuta  l’Accademia  come
                                              ente a sé stante. Il Vocabolario era
                                              ormai divenuto il baluardo del-
                                              la cultura letteraria e linguistica
                                              italiana e un modello per tutte le
                                              altre  accademie  d’Europa.  Forse
                                              fu proprio questa fatica a garan-
                                              tire  all’Accademia  della  Crusca   come “uscire il cane” o “scendere
                                              un’attività ininterrotta, destinata   la valigia”, venisse travisato dopo
             Villa medicea di Castello, a Firenze, oggi sede   a durare tutt’oggi. L’autorevolez-  essere stato speso male sul pia-
                  dell’Accademia della Crusca  za che tale Istituzione può vantare   no mediatico, allora potremmo
                                              a livello nazionale ed internazio-  consolarci con le parole di dedica
            cui edizioni e ristampe seguirono   nale, porta ormai ad incorniciarla   di  Bastiano  de’  Rossi  a  Concino
            lo sciame di eventi storici e cultu-  tra gli stereotipi del “ben parlare”   Concini, il quale così indicava la
            rali  che  investì  l’Italia  nel  secoli   o del “ben dire”, e se per caso un   prima edizione del Vocabolario
            a venire. La Crusca fu salda e ne   discorso  scientifico  come  quel-  della  Crusca:  «parto  dell’Acca-
            assecondò il moto ondoso anche    lo  affiorato  negli  ultimi  giorni   demia, che ha per fine l’universal
            quando, nel 1808, perse momen-    sui verbi intransitivi che spesso   beneficio e la gloria e l’eternità del
            taneamente  la  sua  autonomia:   nell’uso  divengono  transitivi,   nostro idioma».



               From The brIgATA deI           with the name of Infarinato, diverted the   the  Academicians  of  the  Crusca  was
               crusconI To The AccAdemIA      playful vague reflections towards literary   published in Venice, which had a long
               dellA cruscA                   and  linguistic  reflections  that  had  as   gestation.  The  new  work  would  have
                                              their ultimate goal the affirmation of the   shown  «the  beauties  of  the  language»
                lorence had already consecrated   primacy  of  the  Florentine  vernacular:   with the intention of «conserving» it, it
              Fits  literary  and  linguistic glory   the Accademia della Crusca is born. The   would have evaluated the terms mainly
               to the Three Crowns when, always   choice of the name, which now obtained   according to the use and the etymologies.
               invincibly attracted by classicism, it   a  metaphorical  productive  field,  was  a   From this moment on the life of the
               began, however, to intoxicate the fervor   winning  one:  “almost  to  say  that  the   Academy  will  be  inextricably  linked
               of  vulgar  Humanism.  The  sixteenth   Academy had to make a choice between   to the evolution of his major work, the
               century was  the  cradle of reactionary   the good and the bad”. It was decided   Vocabulary, whose editions and reprints
               spirits who, to respond to the pedantry   that everything related to the Academy,   followed the numerous historical and
               of  the  Florentine  Academy  and  to  the   its components, its activities, objects and   cultural events that struck Italy in the
               doctrinal classicism that seemed to hold in   furniture, would have to acquire a name   centuries  to  come.  The  authority  that
               hand the academic circles, began to meet   pertaining to wheat, flour, bran, in fact.   this institution can boast, nationally and
               in convivial convoys, whose meetings   For this reason, in 1590 they chose the   internationally, now leads to framing
               included the declamation of playful verses   sieve, otherwise called “frullone”, as a   it  among  the  stereotypes  of  “well-
               (the cruscate) and conversations on   symbol of the Academy, an instrument   spoken” or “well say”, and if by chance a
               literary subjects in burlesque style. Anton   used to separate the wheat from the flour:   scientific discourse like the one emerging
               Francesco  Grazzini,  Giovan  Battista   nothing more suitable for those who   in the last days on intransitive verbs
               Deti,  Bernardo  Canigiani,  Bernardo   had decided to preserve the purity of the   that in use often become transitive was
               Zanchini  and  Bastiano  de  ‘Rossi  were   language, and to reiterate it was Petrarca,   misrepresented after being badly spent
               the five characters of the so-called Brigata   “The most beautiful flower it captures”,   on the media, then we could console
               dei Crusconi who first began to associate   elected in the slogan of the Academy. The   ourselves with the words of dedication of
               the intention of defending the Tuscan   Academy respected the aims it had been   Bastiano de ‘Rossi addressed to Concino
               language to the initial reactionary spirit.   given: “to read, compose, make shows”,   Concini, which thus indicated the first
               From  the  meetings  of  October  1583  to   and at least until the death of Salviati,   edition of the Vocabulary: «creation of
               March  25,  1585,  the  passage  is  brief:   some literary works were published. Its   Academy, which has for its purpose the
               Leonardo Salviati, admitted into the circle   true  consecration  took  place  however   universal benefit and the glory and the
                                              in 1612, when the Vocabulary of   eternity of our language “.

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