A History of Spanish as a Contact Language challenges the traditional narrative of Spanish's development, viewing it as a centuries-long constellation of contact events and centring speakers as the only historical agents of language transmission and change.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2025
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Languages do not exist beyond their speakers, but the history of individual languages has often been told as if they had a life of their own, emerging from other languages, growing, and sometimes dying. When applied to Spanish, this story line commonly begins in spoken Latin, with the language taking shape in medieval Spain before spreading beyond Europe in the colonial period. This book proposes a new take on this narrative. Instead of seeing Spanish as a linguistic entity with linear development, what would its history look like if we think of it as a centuries-long constellation of contact events? A History of Spanish as a Contact Language revisits the evolution of Spanish from the perspective of the ecology of language, centering speakers as the only historical agents of language transmission and change. Taking the speakers' vantage point opens up exciting possibilities to rethink what Spanish is, how it has changed, and who has played a role in this process.

Languages Do Not Exist Beyond Their Speakers, But the History of Individual Languages Has Often Been Told as if They Had a Life of Their Own

When applied to Spanish, this story line commonly begins in spoken Latin, with the language taking shape in medieval Spain before spreading beyond Europe in the colonial period. This book proposes a new take on this narrative. Instead of seeing Spanish as a linguistic entity with linear development, what would its history look like if we think of it as a centuries-long constellation of contact events?

A History of Spanish as a Contact Language Revisits the Evolution of Spanish from the Perspective of the Ecology of Language

Taking the speakers' vantage point opens up exciting possibilities to rethink what Spanish is, how it has changed, and who has played a role in this process.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474429108