Niccolò Tommaseo and the “Language Question”: An Italian Thinker with Dalmatian and Istrian Roots

Abstract

Niccolò Tommaseo (1802–1874), a key figure of the Italian Risorgimento, represents a bridge between the Adriatic and Italian cultural worlds. Born in Dalmatia but profoundly Italian in spirit, he played a crucial role in the “language question,” advocating for an inclusive vision of the national language that embraced dialects and border varieties. His Dictionary of the Italian Language stands as a monument to linguistic unity within diversity. Through his writings, Tommaseo affirmed language as both a cultural identity and a tool of resistance, linking his Adriatic roots to the broader project of Italian nation-building.