TWO MODELS OF DESCRIPTION, GENERATIVE AND NONGENERATIVE, ARE APPLIED TO THE PHONOLOGY OF ITALIAN TO DETERMINE WHICH OF THE TWO OFFERS A SIMPLER YET MORE COMPREHENSIVE STATEMENT. THE NONGENERATIVE MODEL IS GIVEN IN A LISTING OF PHONEMES AND A BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE PHONOTACTICS AND ALLOPHONICS. THE GENERATIVE MODEL STATES THE FACTS IN 11 REWRITE RULES, WHICH ARE FOLLOWED BY SAMPLES OF ITALIAN WORDS GENERATED FROM THE RULES. THE CONCLUSION IS THAT THE NONGENERATIVE STATEMENT IS SHORTER AND SIMPLER, BUT THE GENERATIVE MODEL IS MORE COMPREHENSIVE. SUCCESSIVE APPLICATIONS OF THE 11 REWRITE RULES PRODUCE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF ITALIAN WORDS WHILE STAYING WITHIN THE RESTRICTIONS OF PERMISSIBLE UNITS AND ARRANGEMENTS. THIS PAPER WAS GIVEN AT THE MEETING OF THE WASHINGTON LINGUISTICS CLUB (NOVEMBER 1965) AND WAS TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ROMANCE PHILOLOGY (11TH, 1965) UNDER THE TITLE "ESQUISSE D'UNE PHONOLOGIE GENERATIVE DE L'ITALIEN." (IT)