Peruttavia

Peruttavia is a proposed term in the study of Italian discourse markers. It denotes a hypothetical connective that blends the preposition per- with the adverb tuttavia to introduce a concession accompanied by justification. The formulation is not widely attested in standard grammars, and its status as a lexical item remains disputed.

Etymology and form: The name combines per-, commonly indicating purpose or direction in Italian, with tuttavia, meaning nevertheless. Some proponents imagine peruttavia as a fused adverbial unit that functions at the clause level to signal that the speaker will justify a claim in light of counterevidence. In practice, it is discussed as a speculative device rather than a securely attested expression.

Usage: In hypothetical discussions, peruttavia would appear at sentence-initial or clause-initial position, followed by a justification. For instance: “Peruttavia i dati non sono ancora completi.” It could also be encountered in experimental writing or online discourse. However, many linguists view it as a nonce or idiosyncratic coinage rather than a stable part of Italian.

Reception and status: There is no broad consensus on its validity or utility; most corpora and dictionaries do not include it. Discussions tend to treat peruttavia as an illustrative example of how new discursive moves might blend existing markers, rather than as an established grammatical item.

See also: discourse marker, conjunction, concessive clause, Italian grammar.