Evolution of the Spanish Language: From Medieval Origins to Modern Varieties
Evolution of the Spanish Language
Siglo XV: Many Uncertainties, Different Solutions
The 15th century witnessed a period of linguistic evolution in the Spanish language, marked by uncertainties and diverse solutions. Some notable features include:
- Hesitation between -t/-d: bondad (goodness)
- Alternating f-/h-: fazer/hazer (to do), folgar/holgar (to rest)
- Hesitation in consonant clusters: duda (doubt)
- Changes in unstressed vowels: vertud (virtue), bevir (to live)
- Archaic and double verb forms: seyendo (being), vengades/venís (you come), tomedes/tomáis (you take)
- Latinisms: plano (plain), llama (flame)
The Beginnings of Humanism (1400-1474)
- Influence of Italian allegorical poetry (Petrarch, Boccaccio) and French literature.
- Closer relations with Italy after the conquest of Naples in 1443.
- Marquis de Santillana, Enrique de Villena, and Juan de Mena introduced new terms.
- Enthusiasm for Latin translations of Seneca and Cicero.
- Greek and Latin influences led to the romanization of the language (e.g., hyperbaton), complicating comprehension.
- Paradox: Authors didn’t respect the Latin form of introduced terms (e.g., inor, ceremonias, fiable).
- Introduction of Italian (belleza, soneto, novela) and French (dama, galán) words.
- Juan de Mena’s use of cultisms (turbulento, enorme, elocuencia).
- Emergence of romances (cancioneros) and authors like Juan del Encina.
- Important Castilian works like Corbacho.
Castilian as the National Language
- The conquest of America propelled Castilian as the national and cultural language of Spain.
- Spain’s rise as a major European empire led to the study of Castilian, previously overshadowed by Latin.
- Attempts to standardize and perfect the language.
- Coexistence of learned and popular trends (e.g., La Celestina).
- Simplification of the language: esent (exempt), perfeto (perfect), dino (worthy).
- Evolution of verb forms: -ades, -edes, -ides replaced by -áis, -éis, -ís.
1474-1525: Spanish Preclassic
- Intensification of Neoclassical knowledge.
- Italian teachers in Spanish courts.
- Antonio de Nebrija’s Grammatica and reform of university teaching methods.
- Consolidation of the language, shedding superficial Latin-like features.
Nebrija’s Contribution
- Nebrija’s work stemmed from his deep knowledge of Latin and Greek.
- He aimed to demonstrate the advantages of Castilian and discuss its features.
- He used Castilian terms instead of Latin ones (e.g., pasado instead of pretérito).
- His primary goal was to standardize the language; the secondary goal was to facilitate the learning of Castilian and Latin.
- He viewed Castilian as an art, something that could be taught, learned, and preserved.
- His work had limited success initially but gained importance later.
Valdés’ Perspective
- Juan de Valdés’ Diálogo de la lengua (1535) compared Castilian and Tuscan.
- He argued that Castilian lacked great authors like Boccaccio and Petrarch.
- He addressed grammar, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, and style.
- He highlighted the importance of usage and habit in language.
- He acknowledged Latin’s influence on Castilian but recognized Latin’s own mixed origins.
- He discussed the pre-Roman languages of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Spanish Classic: Golden Age
Name of the Language
- The language’s name shifted from “Castilian” to “Spanish.”
- During the Middle Ages, the language was referred to as “romance” or “Castilian Romance.”
- Alfonso X used “language of Spain” or “español.”
- In the 16th century, “Spanish” became dominant, reflecting the expanding Spanish Empire.
- Two norms competed: the standard Castilian and the Toledo courtesan norm.
- The development of literature led to language stability.
- Phonological changes resulted in the division between the standard and the Southern Peninsular norm.
- Hesitations in vowels were resolved (e.g., a/e became e, i/e became i, u/o became u).
The Brocense
- Francisco Sánchez de las Brozas (El Brocense) was a scholar who studied arts, theology, and philology.
- He prioritized reason over authority.
- His masterpiece, Minerva seu de causis linguae Latinae, focused on Latin grammar.
- He emphasized reason (ratio) as the foundation of language study.
- His work was influential in Europe but not as much in Spain, where Nebrija’s grammar remained dominant.
Spanish in South America
Diversity and Unity
- The 19th century saw discussions about Spanish in the Americas.
- The concept of “diversity in unity and unity in differentiation” emerged.
- Zamora Vicente argued that variations within South American Spanish were less significant than variations within Spain itself.
- South American Spanish differed from Peninsular Spanish, but the degree of difference varied depending on the specific varieties being compared.
- Mexico alone had 272 varieties.
- The general language system (phonology, morphology, syntax) remained largely the same, with vocabulary being the primary area of variation.
Linguistic Development in the Americas
- The linguistic base of the first Spanish speakers in America was pre-classic Spanish.
- Waves of Spanish speakers arrived in America over time, representing diverse geographical and social backgrounds.
- The presence of indigenous languages (Nahuatl, Quechua, Guarani, etc.) led to the adoption of indigenous terms into Spanish.
- The Church played a role in language contact, using indigenous languages for religious instruction and creating missionary grammars.
- In the 18th century, Carlos III promoted the use of Castilian, leading to increased Spanish speakers in South America.
- The 20th century saw further efforts towards “castellanización.”
- The presence of African slaves also contributed to linguistic diversity (e.g., Papiamento in Curaçao).
- The Andalusianism theory proposed that the Andalusian variety of Spanish heavily influenced the development of Spanish in America.