Scrivere tra due mondi: la digrafia e la comunità francese a Roma nel XVI secolo

Abstract

This paper explores digraphia – the ability for one person to use two different scripts at the same time – in the 16^th-century French community in Rome, where both cancelleresca italica and modern French cursive coexisted. It aims to verify what influenced French writers to adopt distinct graphic solutions, based on their relationship with the text, language, and function of writing. The phenomenon is mostly represented by professional writers, who were able to master both graphic styles at the same level of expertise. Nevertheless, there are also some writers who employ both scriptures at an usual level, showing a higher degree of contamination. All these writers – particularly when acting as delegated writers – show great awareness in their choice of one graphic style over the other.