the language spoken in Italy. See the article LANGUAGE.

This tongue is derived principally from the Latin; and of all the languages formed from the Latin, there is none which carries with it more visible marks of its original than the Italian.

It is accounted one of the most perfect among the modern tongues. It is complained, indeed, that it has too many diminutives and superlatives, or rather augmentatives; but without any great reason: for if those words convey nothing farther to the mind than the just ideas of things, they are no more faulty than our pleonasm and hyperboles.

The language corresponds to the genius of the people, who are slow and thoughtful: Accordingly their language runs heavily, though smoothly; and many of their words are lengthened out to a great degree. They have a great taste for music; and to gratify their passion this way, have altered abundance of their primitive words; leaving out consonants, taking in vowels, softening and lengthening out their terminations, for the sake of the cadence.

Hence the language is rendered extremely musical, and succeeds better than any other in operas and some parts of poetry; but it fails in strength and nervousness; and a great part of its words, borrowed from the Latin, become so far disguised that they are not easily known again.

The multitude of sovereign states into which Italy has been divided has given rise to a great number of different dialects in that language; which, however, are all good in the place where they are used. The Tuscan is usually preferred to the other dialects, and the Roman pronunciation to that of the other cities; whence the Italian proverb, Lingua Toscana in bocca Romana.