Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

2010

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Hispanic & Luso-Brazilian Literatures & Languages

Advisor

José del Valle

Committee Members

Laura Callahan

José del Valle

Isaías Lerner

Subject Categories

Latin American Languages and Societies

Keywords

History of Spanish, Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Standardization, Glottopolitics, Language ideologies

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes five salient moments in the history of the standardization of the Spanish language that took place in the central decades of the nineteenth century: first, the reformed spelling system proposed in London by Andrés Bello and Juan García del Río in 1823 in order to promote Latin American literacy; second, the simultaneous officialization in 1844 of two different orthographic norms in Chile and Spain, both of them surrounded by intense ideological debates, the former led by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, the latter by a teachers' association established in Madrid; third, the publication in 1847 of Bello's grammar, which specifically targeted a Spanish American public; and finally, the official recognition of the Royal Spanish Academy's grammar in 1854 and its subsequent imposition in Spain's school system in 1857.

Linguistic Historiography has traditionally described standardization policies and their implementation in the nineteenth century as undisputed and ideologically neutral. In contrast, this study will unveil the complexity of the process and its deep political roots and ramifications. The standardization processes studied were embedded in broader nation-building projects and used the developing public school systems as mechanisms of promotion of a standard language and national consensus. Reading those five landmarks in the history of Spanish standardization against the socio-political context of the mid-nineteenth century nation-building project shows that taking into account the political prominence of Spanish-speaking intellectuals is crucial to understanding how the standard norms and the language authorities are formed. The focus will be on the role played by Latin American intellectuals in the development of an American Spanish norm as well as on the significant participation of members of the Royal Spanish Academy in the establishment of Spain's official variety in the 1840's and 1850's. Finally, I will analyze the connections between the Peninsular and the Latin American development of a standard language and national identities. The dialogue established between the standardization processes on both sides of the Atlantic contributes to a better understanding of past and present debates over Spanish language policies and the status of the Royal Spanish Academy in the Spanish-speaking world.

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