Variation and Change in Spanish

Penny Ralph

ISBN 10: 0521780454 / ISBN 13: 9780521780452

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2001

About this Item

Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - This book applies recent theoretical insights to trace the development of Castilian and Latin American Spanish from the Middle Ages onwards, through processes of repeated dialect mixing both within the Iberian Peninsula and in the New World. The author contends that it was this frequent mixing which caused Castilian to evolve more rapidly than other varieties of Hispano-Romance, and which rendered Spanish particularly subject to levelling of its linguistic irregularities and to simplification of its structures. These two processes continued as the language extended into and across the Americas. These processes are viewed in the context of the Hispano-Romance dialect continuum, which includes Galician, Portuguese and Catalan, as well as New World varieties. The book emphasises the subtlety and seamlessness of language variation, both geographical and social, and the impossibility of defining strict boundaries between varieties. Its conclusions will be relevant both to Hispanists and to historical sociolinguists more generally.

Seller Inventory # 9780521780452

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Variation and Change in Spanish
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521780454
• ISBN 13: 9780521780452
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 235W x 157H x 22D millimeters 235 millimeters width by 157 millimeters height by 22 millimeters depth
• Weight: 640 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This book studies the differences of pronunciation and grammar that exist within the Spanish-speaking world, and traces their origins in the frequent mixing of dialects in Spanish-speaking communities from the Middle Ages to the present day. It emphasizes the subtlety and seamlessness of language variation, both geographical and social, and shows how the constant process of mixing has rendered Spanish particularly subject to leveling of its linguistic irregularities and to simplification of its structures, both in Europe and later in the Americas.

Review

"This book...is strongly recommended as essential background reading for hispanists in general and as an introductory account for dialectologists and sociolinguists." Language in Society

"Both recent books by Ralph Penny make significant contributions to our knowledge of the history and development of the Spanish language." Society for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies Bulletin