936 ronnie ferguson
unstandardized european language. as such, it is an invaluable resource
to historians of Venice and of european civilization.
- Venice and Venetian: A Historical Overview
the hegemonic role of Venetian as the spoken vernacular of Venice in all
social contexts and for all social classes, between the rise of the Civitas
Venetiarum and the fall of the Stado Veneto in 1797, is a given. that it was
and remained the prestige language of oral communication in Venice’s
overseas and then mainland possessions between 1400 and 1797 is also
beyond doubt.
Historically, the geographical spread and influence of Venetian, and
its high status, went hand in hand with Venice’s remarkable mercantile
growth, maritime then territorial expansion, and consequent cultural
prestige between a.d. c.900 and a.d. c.1500. By 1400, following an intense
period of urbanization and expansion, Venice was a major power, with
merchants and outposts from egypt to the Black Sea. after 1100 it achieved
dominance in the adriatic and extensive influence in the eastern Medi-
terranean. Between 1200 and 1500 it acquired, partially or entirely, istria,
Dalmatia, Corfu, Zakinthos, Cephalonia, Methoni, euboea, the Cyclades,
Crete, Cyprus, and Constantinople.23 its vernacular overwhelmed the ear-
lier native dialects, derived from Latin, along the istrian and Dalmatian
coasts and was, with French, the prestige Romance idiom throughout the
Levant. From the early 15th century, Venice acquired a land empire that
stretched across northern italy from istria and Friuli almost to Milan, and
from the Dolomites to the Po. the modern impact and status of Venetian
in the Veneto developed from that period until the present.
What was the status of Venetian in Venice during the period that
extends from its emergence in written form, c.1200, until the 15th century,
when the city’s political and commercial power and prestige were at their
height and venexian had achieved structural stability in writing? Venetian
was unquestionably the spoken language in all contexts—from family
and street to law court, debating chamber, and diplomacy—both within
Venice and throughout its empire, and remained so until the fall of the
Republic. nevertheless, the affirmation of its written form in this period
was both more hesitant and less complete. until the 15th century Venetian
23 See Frederic Lane, Venice: A Maritime Republic (Baltimore, 1973).