We will study a broad introduction to the history of the Spanish language. From it's distant origins in Latin learned by the early inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, to it's privileged position of language in today's world, and in its Peninsular and Atlantic variants. We will study the evolution (phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and lexical) of Spanish at successive stages (origins, medieval, modern, classic, current). We will reflect on it's relationship to historical events that have shaped the Hispanic civilization and the development of the Spanish language. Finally, we will analyze significant texts of each historical moment and discuss their most relevant linguistic and stylistic characteristics. (1 unit)

Required text: Mª Jesús Torrens Álvarez, Evolución e historia de la lengua española (Arco / Libros, 2007).