Features of the functioning of the article in comedies of Italian authors of the 16th century

Abstract

The use of the article is often connected with difficulties for those people who study the Italian language, especially if it is absent in their native language. It is necessary to study the article comprehensively to understand its functioning better. For example, it is important to considerate the historical aspect: its formation, as well as the principles and contexts of its using during early stages of development. That's why the subject of the study is the functioning of the definite, indefinite and partitive article in the texts of comedies written by Italian authors of the 16th century. Particular attention is paid to the use of the partitive article in prepositional constructions because this structure, according to F. Sabatini, is considered an innovative trend in the modern Italian language of informal communication. The scientific novelty is in the material chosen for this research. Previously, Italian comedies were not used as a source of value for obtaining new knowledge about the language, in particular, the aspect concerning the functioning of the article. It is important that their texts imitate informal everyday communication, and therefore serve as valuable material for analyzing the language of the 16th century. The examples given in this research give reason to believe that the use of the partitive article with prepositions is not an innovation of italiano neostandard. Thus, at the present moment, the Italian language does not develop innovative structures, but rather undergoes a process of restandartization.