conversazione Italian · revision 38701

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=first half of the 13th century, Pseudo-Uguccione|origins=la vertō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /kon.ver.satˈt͡sjo.ne/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''conversazione''' ''f'' (plural conversazioni)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|conversātiō|t=being together, association, way of life]], a learned word.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GDLI)^(Wiktionary) The Latin noun was formed from [[m|la|conversor|t=to keep company with, live with]], which is [[m|la|con-]] with [[m|la|versor|t=to move about, dwell]], from the past participle of [[m|la|vertō|t=to turn]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999)^(OLD 2012) Medieval Latin used “conversatio” for people meeting together and for familiarity from the 10th century, and for a manner of life from the 6th; [[fr|conversation]] is recorded in the 12th century.^(DEI|1091)^(GDLI) The verb [[conversare]], from Latin “conversārī”, came into Italian beside it.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in the Istoria of the Pseudo-Uguccione, a Lombard text of the first half of the 13th century.^(TLIO) The early senses are company and familiarity with others, the way of conducting oneself, and the life of the world as against the religious life.^(TLIO)^(DEI|1091) Dante writes in the ''Convivio'' that “sanza conversazione o familiaritade impossibile è a conoscere li uomini” (“without company or familiarity it is impossible to know people”).^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ DELI dates the sense “a company of people who meet regularly” to Bono Giamboni, before 1292, and the modern sense, a pleasant talk among several people, to Baldassarre Castiglione, before 1529.^(DELI 1999) Migliorini observed that the word in classical Italian meant only being together, and that in the 19th century it came more and more to mean a talk;^(DELI 1999) Giuseppe Baretti, in 1779, still called the evening gatherings named ''conversazioni'' a bad new word.^(DELI 1999) Goldoni and Gasparo Gozzi use it for the gatherings of a salon, and ''tenere conversazione'' meant “to receive guests”.^(GDLI)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ The sense “short talk” is recorded in 1942;^(DELI 1999) Migliorini explained that for talks on the radio the word was chosen because ''conferenza'' had gone out of fashion and because it stressed the familiar tone.^(DELI 1999) English took the word in 1740 for an evening party in Italy, then for a reception in a private house and, from the late 18th century, for a gathering of a learned society.^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * First half of the 13th century – The Pseudo-Uguccione uses ''conversazione''.^(TLIO)

+ * About 1274 – It is recorded for a circle of people who meet.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it for a regular company.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1529 – Castiglione uses it for a friendly talk.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1740 – English borrows ''conversazione''.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1779 – Baretti calls the word a recent coinage for evening gatherings.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1942 – It is recorded for a short talk.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|conversation]]: a talk between two or more people, usually informal and on light topics, ''conversazione telefonica'': a telephone call: ''Dopo cena la conversazione è caduta sul calcio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A way of talking: ''È un uomo dalla conversazione vivace.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # A short, informal [[m|en|talk]] on a subject, given to an audience or on the radio.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(education)'' A class in which students practise speaking a foreign language with a teacher.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(in the plural)'' The title of collections of essays and notes.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(international law)'' An informal meeting of diplomats or governments for an exchange of views.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(rare, literary)'' A circle of people who meet regularly, ''tenere conversazione'': to keep a [[m|en|salon]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(archaic)'' Familiarity; living together; way of life.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[conversazionale]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[conversare]]

+ * [[converso]]

+ * [[conversione]]

+ * [[en|conversazione]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}