Giovanni Spano

Nineteenth-century intellectuals demonstrate a great awareness of the problem of history and of the problem of language. Representative in this sense is Giovanni Spano, who was born in Ploaghe on March 8, 1803.
According to Giovanni Pirodda, he is a “scholar of vast and dispersive archaeological, artistic, historical, ethnological, as well as linguistic interests.” A figure of endless culture who completed his first studies at the school of the Solopian Fathers, obtained a master's degree and graduated in Theology in 1825. Two years later he was ordained priest. Even among his contemporaries he was reputed to be “the most learned man in all of Sardinia”. He founded the Archaeological Museum, as well as the Cagliari Botanical Garden. In 1859 he became rector of the University and in 1871 he was elected senator of the new Kingdom of Italy. He died in Cagliari on April 3, 1878.
He wrote the “Sardinian national orthography, i.e. grammar of the Logudorese language compared to Italian” (1840) which, according to a famous definition by Michelangelo Pira, was nothing more than “a real school text for the contrasting teaching of Sardinian and Italian.” Precisely this text contributes to the conviction that the Gloudorian variant of Sardinian is the one most suitable for literature and the official use of the language, a choice that has not ceased to influence the guidelines of language policies.
Also of interest are the “Sardinian-Italian and Italian-Sardinian vocabulary” (1851-52) and the collection of “Unpublished popular songs” (1863-67).

Update

10/3/2025 - 12:03