La lingua tra medicina, linguistica e retorica in Galeno

Starting from Galen’s analysis of the tongue as the organ of speech, this article investigates the views of the physician from Pergamon regarding the language issue in relation to how to communicate the contents of the medical disciplines. Within a controversial context of a dispute with his rival physicians, Galen rejects the proliferation of new definitions or the use of terms in a meaning which was at odds with the tradition without providing a proper explanation. In a well calibrated balance between respect for the use and literary tradition, he gives more importance to communicative clarity, at a time when Greek was subjected to various modifications or distortions.