SPAN403

History of the Spanish Language

Why does Spanish only have five vocalic sounds? Where does the form “vos” used in Argentina come from? Which Spanish words come from Arabic, and Indigenous languages and why? Do you really think that people in Spain pronounce the “z” as “th” because a former king had a lisp? Why and which are the differences between Caribbean Spanish and the Spanish spoken in the Andes? Do you know the basic Internet slang in Spanish? Learning about the past of Spanish is one of the best ways to understand how it works today and be fully aware of its possibilities.

This course introduces students to the History of the Spanish Language from the Latin origins to the present by focusing on four critical moments of change: when it first became an administrative language (13th century), an imperial (16th and 17th centuries), an institutionalized (18th century) and, finally, a “digital” one (20th and 21st centuries). We will engage with the external history (i.e. historical events, cultural contexts) and the internal developments of Spanish (i.e., the evolution of the sibilant phonetic system, dialectal variations in Spain and America) in order to apply this knowledge to practical exercises and to analyze different texts (historical, publicity, songs…). A metalinguistic reflection on why and how languages evolve, as well as the study of the main concepts (i.e., synchrony/diachrony, grammaticalization, neologism) and theories to explain linguistic change (language contact and transfer, standardization, social prestige…) will be also a part of the learning experience.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Recommended prerequisites: SPAN 302 or equivalent expertise in written and spoken Spanish