La nozione di favella naturale nell'Hercolano di Benedetto Varchi

This paper proposes a reflection on the notion of favella naturale (natural speech) discussed by Benedetto Varchi in Hercolano (1570). Although relatively neglected in scholarly literature, an analysis of the latter is crucial for a correct understanding of the sixteenth-century linguistic debate. Thus, the philosophical and linguistic bases of the work are investigated, highlighting the inspirations due to the acquaintance with Aristotle's biological treatises, mediated by Dante's works and by the criticality of the relationship between oral and written traditions in the Italian society during the second half of the sixteenth century