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 inscholarly literature, an analysis of the latter is crucial for a correct understanding ofthe sixteenth-century linguistic debate. Thus, the philosophical and linguistic bases ofthe work are investigated, highlighting the inspirations due to the acquaintance withAristotle's biological treatises, mediated by Dante's works and by the criticality of therelationship between oral and written traditions in the Italian society during the secondhalf of the sixteenth century