Abstract

This paper suggests that Dante’s writings on language provide elements for the construction of a philosophy of language. The main emphasis is on the theoretical treatment of language in De Vulgari Eloquentia, but it also considers La Vita Nouva and Il Convivio, earlier works providing insights into the development of Dante’s views on the nature and use of language. De Vulgari Eloquentia is an extended justification for the use of a vernacular language capable of treating the worthiest topics in a manner appropriate to them. Two main purposes of language are to instruct and delight. Dante shows that others must be addressed in a language they understand, but if it is to lift them, it must have a beauty and power beyond them.