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Boccaccio was determined to make Italian a respected literary language. Until the start of the 14th century, Italian was not considered to be a vehicle for literary expression. Latin was the language of the literary elite and the vernacular languages were not rated highly. Beginning with Dante the use of the vernacular became more accepted in poetry. What Dante did for poetry, Boccaccio did for prose. He used his native Tuscan and was able to make it capable of great descriptive power and expression. He sought to create an Italian that was as concise as Latin and his prose does have this quality.
The quality of the prose, its precision, and elegance demonstrated that Italian was the equal of Latin. Boccaccio’s Decameron, in particular, was read around Europe and it inspired other authors to write in their native language and shun Latin. The author contributed to one of the most significant changes in Europe wrought by the Renaissance and that was the adoption of the vernacular languages for literary expression.<ref> Brotton, J., [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192801635/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192801635&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2a9f28aad8d467196202eaadfbb16846 The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction ] (Oxford, OUP, 2006), p 19</ref>
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