In memory of Alfredo Schiaffini fifty years after his death. Schiaffini historian of the Italian language: the lesson, the heritage

This paper examines the figure of the linguist Alfredo Schiaffini (1895-1971) on the fiftieth anniversary of his death. The reassessment of his scholarly production highlights - beyond the various articulations and evolutionary stages - a typical and constant thread, i.e., the successful combination of a very high glottological and philological-literary competence with a strong need for << historical concreteness >>. The discourse does not neglect the influence exerted by Croce's aesthetics on Schiaffini's critical approach, but focuses in particular on the innovative themes of investigation and methodological perspectives Schiaffini passed on to his many pupils, both directly and indirectly, in a process that reaches the present day. This process has contributed to consolidating the scientific paradigm of the History of Italian Language as an academic discipline.