Helena Sanson – författare

This monograph examines the relationship between women, language and grammar with particular reference to the Italian context between the sixteenth and the end of the nineteenth century, from the codification of Italian as a literary language to the formation of a unified state. It investigates the role played by women in the Italian linguistic tradition as addressees, readers or authors of grammatical texts. In spite of the ever-growing interest in different aspects of women's life in the Western world through the centuries, little attention has been given up to now to women's linguistic education, their relationship with grammar and the ideas about their use of language. In the context of Italy, these questions were virtually unexplored. This study is the result of extensive first-hand research and detailed analysis of primary sources (well-known texts, as well as minor and rare ones), brought together for the first time and made available to a wider public. Sources range from more specifically linguistic writings, to texts on women's education and conduct books, from literary works (e.g. novels, short-stories, poetry, plays, satirical writings, children's literature), to official government documents, newspapers articles, women's magazines, school texts, letters and memoirs. Its interdisciplinary approach and the richness of its sources make this volume an engaging journey across four centuries in the history of the Italian language the history of grammar, the history of linguistic thought, and the history of women and their education. This is the first work of its kind in the field of Italian studies. Relevant illustrations accompany the book offering readers also a visual appreciation and understanding of the subjects and themes examined in the six chapters.

Women in the History of Linguistics is a ground-breaking investigation into women's contribution to the description, analysis, and codification of languages across a wide range of different linguistic and cultural traditions. Notably, the volume looks beyond Europe to Africa, Australia, Asia, and North America, offering a systematic and comparative approach to a subject that has not yet received the scholarly attention it deserves. In view of women's often limited educational opportunities in the past, their impact is examined not only within traditional and institutional contexts, but also in more domestic and less public realms. The chapters explore a variety of spheres of activity, including the production of grammars, dictionaries, philological studies, critical editions, and notes and reflections on the nature of language and writing systems, as well as women's contribution to the documentation and maintenance of indigenous languages, language teaching and acquisition methods, language debates, and language use and policy. Attitudes towards women's language-both positive and negative-that regularly shape linguistic description and analysis are explored, alongside metalinguistic texts specifically addressed to them as readers. Women in the History of Linguistics is intended for all scholars and students interested in the history of linguistics, women's studies, social and cultural history, and the intersection between language and gender

This volume, the first of its kind, investigates the representation of women in the travel accounts of European travellers from the Age of Exploration until the Grand Tour across different cultural traditions, both European and non-European. It brings together, in a new perspective, travel writing, women’s history, and gender studies, offering a systematic and comparative approach to a subject that has not yet received the scholarly attention it deserves.