Guide to Old Spanish

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the structures of Old or Medieval Spanish, a vernacular language of Spain from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries. It discusses the orthography, phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary of the language and compares its structures with those of modern Spanish. The second part of the book showcases the language through an anthology of selected texts, accompanied by linguistic commentary, making it valuable for scholars and students of Romance linguistics, Spanish historical linguistics, and Spanish medieval literary and cultural studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 23 September 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

This comprehensive book provides a thorough exploration into the structures of the diverse medieval Romance vernaculars, commonly referred to as Old or Medieval Spanish. Spanning from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries, it delves into the preservation of these languages in Spanish texts. The author addresses methodological considerations related to the description and analysis of an earlier historical stage of a modern language. The first part of the book focuses on orthography, phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary, offering detailed insights into the linguistic characteristics of medieval Hispano-Romance. Steven N. Dworkin presents the first systematic description of the language in English, comparing its structures with those of the modern variety. In the second part, an anthology of selected texts from each of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries is presented, accompanied by linguistic commentary. This volume appeals to scholars and students of Romance linguistics, Spanish historical linguistics, and Spanish medieval literary and cultural studies, offering valuable insights into the rich linguistic heritage of this period.

Weight: 268g
Dimension: 157 x 233 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780199687329