Una nazione ancora divisa. Linguistica italiana e politica irredentista nell'Ascoli

The article deals with the contribution given by G.I. Ascoli to the formation of the Ital- ian nation. A linear path links his youthful, libertarian patriotism of 1848 to the enlight- ened moderation with which in 1895 he expressed himself on Julian irredentism. Even his science as a linguist cannot be separated from the sentiment of the homeland: a new Italian school of linguistics appeared authoritatively on the international scene; the whole Italian nation drew the stimulus for a growth that had to be above all cultural. This is a patriotism that does not turn into nationalism, because Ascoli, like Cattaneo, believes in the right of nations to build their own history by contributing to the progress of humanity.