Toso graduated from the University of Genoa with a degree in foreign language and literature in 1988, then earned a degree in Italian philology from Saarland University in 2000. In 2007, he earned a doctorate in Romance studies and general linguistics from the University of Perugia.[1] From 2007 to 2022, he taught at the University of Sassari,[2] first as an associate professor and subsequently as a full professor.[3]
A specialist in the linguistics of Ligurian, Toso collaborated with the Lessico etimologico italiano in Saarland. On both Ligurian and the Genoese dialect, he wrote numerous publications in both Italian and foreign journals. He also wrote several monographs.
Toso also researched the phenomenon of language contact, with special attention to language islands in the Mediterranean basin, from the colonial Ligurian dialect [it] to Tabarchino.[3] In addition, he conducted etymological research on linguistic minorities in Italy and Europe. Thanks to his research on Tabarchino, he was awarded honorary citizenship of Calasetta[4] and Carloforte.[5]
Fiorenzo Toso died from brain cancer in Arenzano, on 24 September 2022, at the age of 60.[6]
