The FREEDOM OF LANGUAGE:

WHEN YOU CAN BREAK GRAMMAR RULES

Abstract

Starting from the approach of the Italian writer Gianni Rodari (1920-1980),
this paper discusses the nature of grammar mistakes and the way to deal with them.
The historical stages leading to the codification of the standard Italian language are
retraced, from the Renaissance period with the fundamental text Prose della volgar
lingua (1525) by Pietro Bembo, going through the perspective of the philosopher
Benedetto Croce at the beginning of the 20th century, up to the most modern
grammars of recent decades. The diachronic approach shows the changes in the
conception of the Italian grammar and its teaching up to now.
In the second part of the paper, the Italian use of hypothetical structures and their
changes are analyzed, with special reference to the imperfect tense of the indicativo
(indicative mood) used to express a certain margin of doubt or probability, but not
yet fully considered as a correct structure in all communication situations. The
dilemma between conservatism and progressivism in using grammar structures is
discussed and addressed through the ironic and playful perspective of Gianni
Rodari. His idea underlines the birth of a plurality of grammars embracing grammar
mistakes as a way of reality’s knowledge and a source of creative processes.