Francesco D’Ovidio tra Ascoli e Schuchardt: dalle reazioni etniche alla Sprachmischung

The D’Ovidio-Schuchardt correspondence (1875–1921) contains a wealth of information and evidence that goes far beyond the anecdotal dimension, shedding light not only on the scientific dialogue between the two scholars but also on trends and crucial issues in European linguistics between the 19th and 20th centuries. Starting with the cues offered by this epistolary source and through the examination of published writings (with a special focus on a relevant essay by D’Ovidio on the relics of ancient Italic dialects in Romance idioms), the present paper reconstructs the position of the two linguists on the so-called ethnic reactions. The analysis reveals the role played by Schuchardt in D’Ovidio’s gradual detachment from the theses of his former mentor, i. e. G. I. Ascoli: a sign, among the many, of the turning point that was taking shape, even in Italian Romanistics, from the one-dimensional linearity of the historical-comparative paradigm to a new conception of linguistic dynamics, more attentive to the influences and crossings of cultural currents.