Dellarticolo

Dell'articolo is the contracted form in Italian of the preposition di plus the definite article l' (the) before a masculine singular noun starting with a vowel. The expression is used to indicate a relationship of possession, attribution, origin, or specification with another noun, typically acting as a complement in a sentence.

Etymology and form: It is created by combining di with l'articolo, and the vowel collision is resolved by the standard contraction dell'. The corresponding contractions with other nouns follow the general rules of di-phrases in Italian, such as del, della, dei, delle, and degli, depending on the gender and number of the noun.

Common usage: Dell'articolo appears most often in phrases that denote the article to which something belongs or pertains. Examples include la data dell'articolo (the date of the article), il contenuto dell'articolo (the content of the article), and la posizione politica dell'articolo (the stance of the article). It functions as a prepositional phrase that links a noun to a specific article rather than as a standalone term.

Grammatical notes: Dell'articolo is not a specialized term but a standard prepositional construction in Italian grammar. Its appropriateness depends on the syntactic needs of the sentence and on selecting the correct di- contraction (del, della, dei, delle, degli) for the noun that follows.

See also: Italian grammar, prepositions, article contractions.