One of Agostino Lampugnani’s doubts: An open debate with Accademia della Crusca scholars on numerals ending in -esimo

Abstract

The article examines a significant case of metalinguistic reflection in the history of Italian through Giovan Battista Lampugnani’s Lumi della lingua italiana (1652–1654). Structured as a grammar hand-book accompanied by an extensive section on “doubts,” it takes a critical stance toward the normative choices of the Accademia della Crusca, at a time when the process of standardizing Italian was still underway and not unanimously accepted. Focusing on the third “doubt” concerning ordinals ending in -esimo, it highlights interpretative and communicative difficulties, especially for non-Tuscans and foreigners. Comparison with the Vocabolario della Crusca reveals a lack of consistent criteria in the treatment of numerals, reflecting enduring tensions between norm, usage, and innovation, still relevant in contemporary linguistic debate.