History of the Spanish Language

THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT IN GUADALAJARA

This course offers a historical-linguistic vision of the Spanish language evolution from its Latin roots to its modern form. It proposes theoretical and practical fundaments in the field to understand phonetic, morphological, and lexical changes, which have being developed from the 11th-century until our modern days. The class presents the most important aspects of the evolution of the Spanish language: the linguistic situation of the Peninsula before the Romans arrived, the relevance of the spoken Latin (Latín vulgar), the Arab linguistic influence, the origins of the primitive peninsular romance languages, and the particular transformation of one of them: Castilian, the relevant linguistic changes, the political and geographical expansion of Castilian, and its latest flourishing as a national and transatlantic language. (1 unit)

Required text: Torres Alvarez, Evolucion e historia de la lengua española Text available at the Middlebury, Vermont College Store.