The role of syntax and its metalanguage in selected Renaissance grammars

definitions of selected key terms within the syntactic domain of subordination. The study will contrastively examine Latin and vernacular grammars from the main European traditions: Italian, Spanish, French, English, German, and Dutch, exploring syntactic terminology of dependency. The framework for the research within our project situates grammaticography as a meeting point for knowledge and reflection on language, serving as a venue to assess metalinguistic awareness and foster the development of the national language, language of use, and linguistic system. The study period will primarily focus on the 16th and 17th centuries, drawing on foundational premises in the grammatical texts of the 15th century. Within this framework, we outline three primary research strands: 1. Theories concerning the elaboration of metalanguage in vernaculars. 2. The development of syntactic knowledge from hidden legacy to an explicit section within different European Renaissance grammars. 3. Its interrelation with rhetoric, tracking the codification of subordination syntax from Thomas of Erfurt to the late 17th century, thus connecting to research on grammatical concepts in Europe and Italy, as well as the origin of the definition of subordination.