Gramáticas para la enseñanza del español en la Italia del siglo XIX : el caso de Francesco Marin

This study analyzes and interprets the 1833 grammar by Francesco Marin: Gramatica della lingua spagnuola, o sia, L’ italiano istruito nella cognizione di questa lingua. Starting by defining and presenting the entire corpus of nineteenth century Spanish grammars for Italian speakers (chapter 1), and commenting on the author’s biographical data (chapter 2), every edition of the Gramatica is placed in its historical, political, social and publishing environment (chapter 3). The hyperstructure of Marin’s work is analized qualitatively and quantitatively (chapter 4) including the introductory peritexts (chapter 5), the main text (chapter 6), the lexicographical supplements (chapter 7) and its final peritexts (chapter 8). A series of exploratory surveys is conducted (spelling system in chapter 9, terminology in capter 10, uses of examples and translation of texts in chapter 11 and types and functions of foonetes in chapter 12). A series of intrepretation studies is also completed on the text (contrastivity in chapter 13, sources of the Gramatica in chapter 14, and the Gramatica as a source of other works in chapter 15). This study reveals that Marin’s Gramatica is one of the most important nineteenth century Spanish grammars for Italian speakers providing extra information and detailed contrastivity. It also was a commercial success and a benchmark for teaching Spanish for quite a long time. Since it was a source for other grammars its influence indirectly extended into the early twentieth century.