| Summary: | The article examines Prose by Pietro Bembo, a crucial text in the standardization of the Italian language. Traditionally, Bembo’s work has been seen as a strict imposition of fourteenth-century Florentine, but it actually shows a careful management of linguistic variation, which is examined in this study through the lenses of diaphasia, diacronia, and diatopia. In the third book of the Prose, Bembo doesn’t just describe a language model; he also talks about how different forms can exist together, sorting them into groups based on how they are used, when they appear, and where they are found. The study uses a structured reading of the text to show how variation labels help organize language forms in a hierarchical way. While Bembo’s observations aim to establish a norm, they do not overlook the richness of the tradition and instead reveal a sophisticated sociolinguistic awareness. His proposal is not merely a prescriptive imposition but a conscious intervention in an ongoing standardization process. The study proves that Bembo’s norm is more than just a rule: it’s also a philological work that tries to find a balance between change and stability, setting the stage for the formalization of literary Italian.
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