Descripción:
This book focuses on linguistic ideology in Spain in the Early Modern Period, especially the 16th century. Traditionally linguistic scholarship in the Renaissance has been considered a possible precedent of Modern Historical Linguistics. This work demonstrates that such a vision can be expanded by studying how the topics of linguistic change, the historical continuity of language, and the criteria to value and improve a language were addressed during the period.

In order to show this, Lledó-Guillem studies two languages: Catalan and Castilian. In both areas the value of the language is usually attributed to either its political power or its literary tradition. Despite this difference, however, language is in both cases finally associated with political power. But whereas Castilian speakers accept the continuity of their language since the Middle Ages, Catalan speakers question that their own Medieval literature was written in the language that they use in the Early Modern Period. Castilians accept the geographical and historical continuity of Castilian as a natural quality of their language, despite the warning of Antonio de Nebrija that continuity in language was a political construction. In the Catalan-speaking lands this continuity is not accepted.

It can be argued that the Castilian linguistic ideology, as far as the history of the language is concerned, could be a precedent for a Modernist perspective, whereas the Catalan position is more similar to a Postmodernist view. The consequences of this ideological difference are still present today.


INDICE:

Introduccion......9

1. Una dicotomia comienza a perfilarse......31

2. El establecimiento final de la dicotomia......66

3. Sevilla juzga a Garcilaso. La lengua castellana en manos andaluzas. La importancia fundamental de la ideologia del cambio lingüistico de Francisco de Medina (1544-1615) y Fernando de Herrera (1534-1597)......98

4. El cambio lingüistico en las obras escritas en catalan......121

5. La obra de Mati de Viciana (1502-1582) y Gaspar Escolano (1560-1619)......153

Conclusiones......190

Obras citadas......195