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Primary sourceBookc. 1302–1305

De vulgari eloquentia

Dante Alighieri · c. 1302–1305

Dante's unfinished Latin treatise defending the dignity of vernacular language, explaining the theory behind his choice to write poetry in Tuscan.

This treatise is Dante's own argument for the vernacular, explaining the linguistic theory behind his great poem.

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Title page of a 1577 Paris edition of Dante Alighieri's De vulgari eloquentia, printed by Io. Corbon. Black Latin text on aged cream paper, with an oval library stamp on the lower right and a red and marbled book binding visible at the edges.
Dante Alighieri, De vulgari eloquentia, 1577 Paris edition (originally written c. 1302–1305).

About this source

What it is

De vulgari eloquentia is a Latin essay by Dante Alighieri, probably written shortly after his exile began in the early 1300s. Meant to have four books, it breaks off partway through the second. It discusses the relationship between Latin and the vernacular languages and surveys the dialects of Italy.

Why it matters

Unusually for its time, this essay argues that vernacular language deserves the same dignity as Latin. It reveals the thinking behind Dante's decision to write the Divine Comedy in Tuscan rather than Latin, and shows him engaging with earlier Occitan and Sicilian poetic traditions.

Look closer

  • Why would defending everyday language have been a controversial idea in Dante's time?
  • What does Dante's unfinished treatise suggest about the limits of his time or interest?
  • How might this essay connect to Dante's choice of language in his other works?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Dante Alighieri on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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