Tra dottrina grammaticale e ortografia latina: l’Aldina del De Aetna di Pietro Bembo

Diacritical marks introduced by Pietro Bembo with the help of his editor, Aldus Manutius, in thefirst edition of his dialogue De Aetna form a complex and well-structured system. Although devisedfor practical purposes, so as to ensure a correct reading and phrasing of the Latin text, this system isclearly based on solid theoretical premises. The decisive factor for its introduction was the experienceof editing Greek texts, which became the impulse as well as the basis for the system of diacritical signs.The influence of Latin grammarians (in particular, Servius and Priscianus), who had applied Greekaccent theory to Latin language, also played an important part. Within a system essentially devoid ofambiguity, the three accents conveyed a variety of indications bearing on the correct pronunciationof the text, from basic principles to expressive nuances. Several editorial decisions involving phraseaccents suggest that Bembo considered not only private reading, whether oral or mental (endophasic),but also public declamation.