THE GOLDEN AGE OF SPANISH LANGUAGE

Pablo Miguel Mora Leiva

【Abstract】The present essay offers us a different and new point of view about the methodology of study of the language and in particular of the Castilian language. Thus， we carry out an analysis from a diachronic point of view to the historical evolution of the Spanish language and how to know and understand this evolution helps us to teach and learn that language， taking as our main point of analysis what is considered the Golden Age.

【Key words】SPANISH LANGUAGE; GOLDEN AGE; LANGUAGE STUDY

【作者簡介】Pablo Miguel Mora Leiva， Spain， Almería.

“It does not matter that you do not understand me， that I am speaking my Spanish language， which is so beautiful and noble that it should be known by all Christendom.” （Charles V， Holy Roman and Spanish Emperor）

In April 1536 the Emperor Charles V pronounces a speech in Spanish in front of Pope Innocent III and in such a way in front of ambassadors， bishops， cardinals and various authorities of the greatest importance. This moment is considered one of the most important events in our history since our language is used for the first time as political in international diplomatic circles.

The Emperor Charles， who had been born in Flanders and whose mother tongue therefore was not Castilian， now becomes his most faithful defender， proclaiming it as the official language of diplomacy. Needless to say the Spanish Empire is， at the moment， the largest and most powerful in the world， so much that it would be known later as the empire where the sun never sets： in all European courts Castilian language is learnt and spoken.

The characteristics of the Spanish language throughout this era are several： Latinisms are purified a lot and tend to a simpler and more natural speech. A sample of this spontaneity and clarity of Spanish in the times of Charles V is found in Lazarillo de Tormes. Later， during the reign of Felipe II， it is still used a sober language and without an abuse of cultism： see as an example the work of Fray Luis de León.

Towards the second half of the 17th century， however， authors such as Fernando de Herrera will create a tendency in their own use of the poetic language， different from the usual one and full of neologisms and verse twists. Thus in this time Castilian language acquires a degree of remarkable perfection and modernity.

According to the linguistic variations， consonantal transformations are experienced， such as the total disappearance of the sound difference between /v/ and /b/ （both phonemes are unified in the latter）; /h/ also disappears， becoming silent， and /g/ and /j/ lose their initial sonority in favor of the current one. Last but not least we can appreciate the use of the verb to have （haber） as auxiliary in compound times： this way， son ido turns into han ido （they have gone）.

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were known as the Golden Age： the language is stabilized and the authors seek correction and fight the vulgar. This desire for improvement is undoubtedly due to the foundation of the Spanish Language Royal Academy， founded by King Philip V in 1713 with the motto “it cleans， fixes and gives splendor”. Its first director was the Marquis of Villena and from the first moment the academics share the idea of ??publishing a general dictionary， taking as a model what is already happening in France， England or Portugal. This way the first six volumes of the first edition of the dictionary of the Royal Academy are born： Diccionario de Autoridades （Dictionary of Authorities）. During the same century， Ortografía de la Lengua Espa?ola （Orthography of Spanish Language; 1741） and Nueva Gramática de la Lengua Espa?ola （New Grammar of Spanish Language; 1771） are published， two works that achieve the definitive unification of Spanish in oral and written form. From then on， any novelty that wants to be introduced with respect to the language has to be approved before by the Academy， and those who do not conform to its norms will fall into inaccuracies.

From the linguistic point of view， there is an invasion of gallicisms （foreign words derived from French）， and phonetic changes： ph becomes f and the use of ss disappears， and x takes its current sound.

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