معرفی
Neri Binazzi (born 1963 in Florence) is an Associate Professor in Italian Linguistics at the Department of Literature and Philosophy (DILEF) of the University of Florence. He teaches Italian Sociolinguistics and Italian Dialectology in undergraduate and graduate programs at the School of Humanities and Education. Binazzi has been a tenured researcher in Italian Linguistics since January 1, 2005, and was promoted to Associate Professor in September 2014. In March 2021, he obtained qualification as a Full Professor in the competitive sector 10/F3 Italian Linguistics and Philology.
Binazzi earned his degree in Italian Dialectology with Gabriella Giacomelli in 1988 and completed his PhD in Italian Linguistics in 1993. His academic journey began with post-doctoral fellowships and research grants at the University of Siena, where he also taught in the 'Writing Workshop' from 2000 to 2004. He subsequently taught Sociolinguistics at the Faculty of Education of the University of Florence during the 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 academic years.
Binazzi's research spans sociolinguistics and Italian dialectology, with a particular focus on lexical behavior, linguistic identity manifestation, and the dynamics between standard Italian and dialects. His work examines popular Italian ('italiano popolare'), the language of the semi-educated ('lingua dei semicolti'), and dialect theater. A significant portion of his career has been devoted to coordinating the 'Vocabolario del fiorentino contemporaneo' (VFC) project at the Accademia della Crusca since 2000. The VFC database contains over 3,200 lexical entries and aims to document approximately 7,000 terms when completed. His monograph 'Le parole dei giovani fiorentini: variazione linguistica e variazione sociale' (1997) established important foundations for his research trajectory.
His recent publications (2022-2025) reveal a strong focus on digital humanities approaches to dialect documentation, epistolary writings from marginalized communities, and the intersection of literature with regional language varieties. Binazzi has increasingly collaborated on interdisciplinary projects that combine linguistic analysis with historical, sociological, and digital methodologies.
- Principal Investigator of the Florentine Research Unit for Project CHANGES (2023-2026), focusing on digital documentation of dialect corpora
- Coordinator of the 'Vocabolario del fiorentino contemporaneo' (VFC) project at the Accademia della Crusca since 2000
- Member of the Udine-Florence local unit for the PRIN DigitALIa project (Digitization of Italian Linguistic Atlases)
- Member of the Florentine Research Unit for the PRIN project on Dante's 'Commedia' critical edition
- Correspondent for the Italian Journal of Dialectology in Tuscany since 1995
Binazzi's research group centers around the VFC project, which has evolved into a significant digital humanities initiative. The project has expanded to include collaborations with institutions across Italy and internationally, particularly through the CHANGES project which connects humanities scholarship with digital innovation. His work demonstrates how linguistic research can contribute to broader cultural heritage preservation efforts while providing insights into contemporary language use and social identity.
