Between early attestations and neologisms: a reading of Petrarch's poetic lexicon

Abstract

The present study offers an analysis of Petrarch’s poetic lexicon through the investigation of the earliest attestations found in the Rerum vulgarium fragmenta, the Trionfi and the Rime disperse e attribuite. The list of entries, updated on the basis of the most recent acquisitions of the main historical-linguistic corpora, is accompanied by an analysis of the mechanisms of formation, distribution in the various grammatical categories, collocation within the verse and subsequent diffusion of these terms. Starting from the criteria outlined in studies on Dante's neology, the research shows how the inclusion of lemmas in verse is determined by the interaction between semantic, stylistic and metrical factors, highlighting the devices that regulate the construction of Petrarch’s poetic lexicon.