Italy holds special treasures for linguists. There is probably no other area of Europe in which such a profusion of variation, at all levels of linguistic structure, is concentrated into so limited a geographical area. The principal aim of this book is to make accessible, both to Romance specialists and to general linguists, the major structural features of the dialects of Italy and to emphasize the importance of a detailed understanding of the dialects for issues in general linguistic theory. Selected contents include: Phonology Morphology Syntax Lexis The Dialect Areas Sociolinguistics of Dialects The contributors, drawn from amongst the world's foremost experts in Italian dialectology, provide a lively and stimulating range of perspectives, and carefully examine the results of recent original research. The Dialects of Italy will constitute an indispensable compendium of current thinking in the field of Italian dialectology. Paola Benica, Universita di Padova; Gaetano Berruto, Universita degli Studi di torino; Michela Cennamo, Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; Guglielmo Cinque, Universita degli Studi di Trento