Autor: John Florio

John Florio (1553–1625), a linguist, lexicographer, and noted teacher of the Italian language, remains a celebrated figure primarily for his contributions to English translations of Italian works and his advancements in English lexicography. Born in London to Italian Protestant refugees, Florio grew up bilingual, which facilitated his later efforts in creating comprehensive language dictionaries. His most renowned work, „Queen Anna“s New World of Words; or, Dictionarie of the Italian and English Tongues“ published in 1611, is an expansive Italian-English dictionary that not only clarified the definitions of thousands of words, but also included idiomatic expressions, proverbs and cultural references, thereby enriching the linguistic resources available to scholars of the period (Florio, 1611). Florio“s literary style combines scholarly rigor with an appreciation for the subtleties of both languages, capturing their evolving usage during the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean eras. His works have been indispensable to language scholars, and they echo the humanistic spirit of the Renaissance, drawing connections between the English and Italian literary cultures. Florio“s legacy is also entrenched in his translations of Montaigne“s Essays, bringing the French philosopher“s works to a broader English audience and influencing the thought and literature of his time.