Una proposta per «De vulgari eloquentia», I, xiv, 5

The paper examines the textual problem concerning the word said to be used by the inhabitants of Brescia, Verona and Vicenza in Dante’s De vulgari eloquentia. Since neither the transmitted text mara/ma(r)ra nor the conjecture magara (that is the current vulgata) can be retained, the proposal argued here is that mara (or ma(r)ra, with abbreviation) is an archetypal corruption of an originary maia ‘eat!’ or maia(r) ‘to eat’. This form, paleographically very close to the manuscripts’ reading, matches the linguistic area mentioned above and suites the mainly parodistic and mimetic purpose of Dante’s review of Italian vernaculars.