This contribution has been conceived in memory of Giuseppe Francescato, one of the key experts of our recent linguistics. Francescato was able to anticipate future trends by disseminating the principles and contents allegedly developed by the Prague School, as well as the theories on structuralism, American descriptivism, innovative psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. After an overview of the scholar’s ample and diversified scientific production, the contribution identifies the main concepts which functioned as a starting point for his research and focuses on some of his key terms, which denote some of the crucial turning points in the field of Italian (socio)linguistic studies.
