Dear Gianni,
It is good to have Mario's comment...
> Mario Catamo has suggested me that very probably
> the term "Italic" (in Italic hours) comes from
> the Latin word "Italicus" (that means "Italian"),
> that the word "Italianus" doesn't exist in Latin
> and that until the end of the XVIII century almost
> all the scientific texts (and also the gnomonic's
> ones) were written in Latin.
Mario makes a good point but I think Italicus AND
Italianus both exist in Latin, and certainly in
scientific Latin...
You made the excellent comment:
In our language today there is a small difference
between the adjective "Italic" and the adjective
"Italian": Italic is used only to make reference
to things of the ancient Italy (as the civil law,
the customs, the dialects) or to the ancient
inhabitants of the country.
The Oxford English Dictionary has entries for Italic
and Italian. They almost repeat what you say BUT they
add the Latin translations Italicus and Italianus:
Italic, Latin Italicus
Of or pertaining to ancient Italy or its tribes;
especially in Roman History and Law...
Italian, Latin Italianus
Of or pertaining to Italy or its people; native
to or produced in Italy...
The Latin Italianus is used in scientific classification.
For example you can read about diacyclops italianus in:
http://copepods.interfree.it/diacy.htm
The Oxford English Dictionary also explains the origin of
the term italic for sloping text:
(with small i) applied to the species of printing type
introduced by Aldus Manutius of Venice, in which the
letters, instead of being erect as in Roman, slope
towards the right; first used in an edition of Virgil,
published in 1501 and dedicated to Italy.
This is interesting because I thought italic printing
was an early 20th century development! It is good to
see that it comes from Italy and you had it over
500 years ago!!
In the context of time and sundials, I think italic is
OK to describe the sundials of ancient. Equal hours
that start at sunset were unknown in Roman times so I
prefer to use "Italian Hours" :-)
Mario is certainly correct to say that almost all
scientific writing used to be in Latin. This practice
went on for a VERY long time. Of course Mario's
favourite example is:
De Nummo et Gnomone Clementino
by Francesco Bianchini
about the meridiana in the Basilica di Santa Maria
degli Angeli in Rome.
Mario once showed me a copy of this dissertation. That
is truly a "Sacred Text"!!!
Te salutamus
Frank
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