Historical Grammar of Spanish: Evolution and Problems
Code: 104616 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500248 Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 3 | 0 |
| 2500248 Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 4 | 0 |
Contact
- Name:
- Carlos Eliseo Sánchez Lancis
- Email:
- Carlos.Sanchez@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- spanish (spa)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- Yes
Prerequisites
Given the basic skills achieved during previous elementary and mandatory subjects, which are shown by the corresponding credits obtained, students must be able to express themselves correctly both orally and in writing.
Additionally, it is assumed that students are familiar with the general norms of presentation of an academic essay. However, other additional rules which may be specified by the teaching staff of the subject may also be applied, if it is deemed necessary.
Objectives and Contextualisation
"Spanish Historical Grammar: Evolution and Problems" is integrated into the subject “Variation and Diachrony in the Spanish Language” and is part of the 54 optional credits to be taken during the third or the fourth year of the Degree in Spanish Language and Literature.
It is one of the subjects offered within the Spanish Language Mention, a recognition which is given if at least 30 of the 54 optional credits are taken among the subjects specifically assigned to the said mention.
It is a deepening course in the historical study of the language, both from a general point of view (morphological change) and a particular point of view (the concrete evolution of Spanish).
The aim of the subject is to know the main morphological changes that the Spanish language has undergone from the very beginning, thus allowing to understand much better the current morphological peculiarities of modern Spanish.
At the end of the course students should be able to:
a) Apply different methodologies in the diachronic study of Spanish.
b) Manage the instruments and terminology of historical linguistics.
c) Establish different historical stages of the Spanish language according to the morphosyntactic changes experienced by the system.
d) Identify and describe different types of morphosyntactic changes occurred in Spanish and their impact on the current use of the language.
Competences
- Spanish Language and Literature
- Demonstrate knowledge of the history and development of the Spanish language, and identify the main periods of evolution and fundamental linguistic characteristics of each.
- Identify grammar component belonging to linguistic phenomena basic analysis of Spanish language (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, vocabulary, semantics and discourse).
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- The techniques and methods of linguistic comment both from the synchronic point of view and from the point of view diachronic.
- Typological framing the main phenomena of the Spanish language and relate them to similar phenomena in other Romance languages.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply knowledge of the history of linguistic grammar texts comments from other eras.
- Apply the principles of historical linguistics applied to the study of Spanish historical grammar.
- Carrying out oral presentations using appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
- Describe the morphological evolution of Spanish.
- Identify own linguistic features of Spanish medieval, classical and modern.
- Solving problems autonomously.
- Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
- Summarising acquired knowledge about the origin and transformations experienced in its several fields of study.
Content
Unit 1. Introduction: language change
1.1. Language change: a definition
1.1.1. Characteristics of language change
1.1.2. Types of functional change: grammaticalization, degrammaticalization, and regrammaticalization
1.1.3. Levels of language change
1.1.4. Conditions in which language change takes place
1.2. Relationships between grammatical change and other types of language change
1.3. Analogical change
1.4. Reanalysis
1.5. Loanwords
Unit 2. The nominal and adjectival system
2.1. Evolution and loss of Latin declensions.
2.1.1. Mechanisms in the loss of case system
2.1.2. Phonetic remains of the cases
2.2. Gender: loss of the neuter gender.
2.3. Number
2.4. Adjective
2.4.1. Gender and number of the adjective
2.4.2. Gradation of the adjective
2.4.3. Adjective placement
Unit 3. The pronominal system
3.1. Personal pronouns: stressed forms and unstressed forms
3.2. Possesive pronouns
3.3. Demonstrative and identity pronouns
3.4. Rise of the article in romance
3.5. Relative and interrogative pronouns
3.6. Indefinite pronouns
Unit 4. The verbal system
4.1. Voice
4.2. Conjugations: reduction of the number of Latin conjugations
4.3. Non-personal forms: the infinitive, the gerund and the participle
4.4. Person and number endings
4.5. Verbal aspects
4.6. Verbal moods: indicative, subjunctive and imperative
4.7. Verbal tenses: general changes in the verbal system
4.7.1. Evolution of temporary forms from Latin to romance:
4.7.1.1. Present tense
4.7.1.2. Imperfect tense
4.7.1.3. Perfect tenses: regular and irregular
4.7.1.4. Future tense and conditional tense
Methodology
The learning of this course by the students is distributed as follows:
• Directed activities (35%). These activities are divided into master classes and seminars and classroom practices led by the faculty, in which theoretical explanation is combined with discussion of all types of texts.
• Supervised activities (10%). These tutorials are programmed by the faculty, dedicated to correcting and commenting on problems at different levels of linguistic analysis.
• Autonomous activities (50%). These activities include both time devoted to individual study and possible preparation of reviews, papers and analytical comments written, as well as oral presentations.
• Evaluation activities (5%). The evaluation of the subject can be carried out through oral presentations and written texts.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lessons, exercises and seminars led by the teaching staff | 52.5 | 2.1 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorial sessions | 15 | 0.6 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Individual learning | 75 | 3 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8 |
Assessment
This subject will be evaluated continuously through the development of two activities in class and the completion of two partial written tests during the semester.
The evaluation will be organized as follows:
- Presentation of activities 50%
- Partial written tests 50%
The evaluation of the subject will be carried out, therefore, through the completion of four activities / tests in which the following aspects will be assessed:
- The assimilation of theoretical content;
- the practical application of the contents;
- the fulfillment of the requirements of the activity in question.
The four activities / tests to be carried out are the following:
- Two activities, to be delivered, which consist in a morphological comment on medieval and classic Spanish texts. These activities constitute 50% (25% + 25%) of the final grade for the course.
- Two partial theory exams in the classroom on the syllabus and compulsory readings. These two tests constitute 50% (25% + 25%) of the final grade for the course.
To pass the course, all the activities must be carried out and delivered within the set period. The minimum grade required to pass each of the tests and to consider it in the average must be equal to or greater than 4 points. However, the sum of the results of the different tests / activities with their corresponding percentage must be equal to or greater than 5 points.
While it is the responsibility of the students to bring the subject up to date, the faculty will indicate with sufficient notice the date of each test.
In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.
The student will be considered "Not evaluable" if he/she doesn't perform any of the tests or if he/she delivered only 30% of the evaluable evidence (tests and assignments) of the total of the subject. The elaboration of more than 30% of the tests will mean, then, the will of the student to be evaluated in the subject.
In order to participate in the remedial exam: a) one must have previously been evaluated in a set of activities whose weight equals a minimum of two-thirds of the total grade for the subject; and furthermore, b) an average grade for the subject must be obtained below 5, but equal to or greater than 3.5.
Mistakes in spelling, expression, vocabulary and syntax will lead to the deduction of 0.2 point each (without limit) in the final grade in the activities and in the exams. Repeated mistakes will be discounted.
Obviously, in case of requesting anwers for exams or presentations of activities, papers, etc., everything must be original and the total or partial copy of materials already published in any medium is not allowed. In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercises (unit 2 and unit 3) | 25% | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8 |
| Exercises (unit 4) | 25% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8 |
| Theory test (unit 4) | 25% | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8 |
| Theory tests (unit 1, unit 2 and unit 3) | 25% | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8 |
Bibliography
Bibliography:
ALVAR, Manuel y Bernard POTTIER (1983): Morfología histórica del español. Madrid: Gredos.
ANDRÉS-SUÁREZ, Irene (1994): El verbo español. Sistemas medievales y sistema clásico. Madrid: Gredos.
BUENAFUENTES, Cristina; PRAT, Marta y Carlos SÁNCHEZ LANCIS (2015): Gramática histórica del español (morfología flexiva). Bellaterra: UAB (Materials, 233) (eBook).
COMPANY COMPANY, Concepción [dir.] (2006): Sintaxis histórica de la lengua española. Primera parte: La frase verbal, 2 vols. México: FCE – UNAM.
COMPANY COMPANY, Concepción [dir.] (2009): Sintaxis histórica de la lengua española. Segunda parte: La frase nominal, 2 vols. México: FCE – UNAM.
COMPANY COMPANY, Concepción [dir.] (2014): Sintaxis histórica de la lengua española. Tercera parte: Adverbios, preposiciones y conjunciones. Relaciones interoracionales, 3 vols. México: FCE – UNAM.
EBERENZ, Rolf (2000): El español en el otoño de la Edad Media. Sobre el artículo y los pronombres. Madrid: Gredos.
ELVIRA, Javier (1998): El cambio analógico. Madrid: Gredos.
ELVIRA, Javier (2009): Evolución lingüística y cambio sintáctico. Bern: Peter Lang (eBook).
ELVIRA, Javier (2015): Lingüística histórica y cambio gramatical. Madrid: Síntesis (eBook).
FÁBREGAS, Antonio; ACEDO, Víctor; AMSTRONG, Grant; CUERVO, M. Cristina e Isabel PUJOL (eds.) (2021): The Routledge Handbook of Spanish Morphology. London: Routledge (eBook).
GARCÍA GALLARÍN, Consuelo (2018): Diccionario histórico de la morfología del español. Madrid:Guillermo Escolar Editores.
GUTIÉRREZ-REXACH, Javier (ed.) (2016): Enciclopedia de Lingüística Hispánica, 3 vols. Londres/New York: Routledge.
HANSSEN, Federico (1945 [1913]): Gramática histórica de la lengua castellana. Buenos Aires: El Ateneo.
HEINE, Bernd y Heiko NARROG (2015): The Oxford handbook of linguistic analysis. Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press (eBook).
LAPESA, Rafael (2000): Estudios de morfosintaxis histórica del español. Madrid: Gredos.
LLOYD, Paul M. (1993 [1987]): Del latín al español: I. Fonología y morfología históricas de la lengua española. Madrid: Gredos.
MENÉNDEZ PIDAL, Ramón (1940): Manual de gramática histórica española, 6ª ed. revisada y ampliada. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe.
MENÉNDEZ PIDAL, Ramón (1944 y 1945): Cantar de Mio Cid. Texto, gramática y vocabulario, ed. de R. Menéndez Pidal. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (tomo III, vol. I, crítica del texto – gramática; vol. II, vocabulario).
NARROG, Heiko Y HEINE, Bernd (eds.) (2011): Grammaticalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press (eBook).
PARODI, Giovanni, CANTOS, Pascual Y HOWE, Chad (eds.), Lingüística de corpus / The Routledge handbook of Spanish Corpus Linguistics. London/New York, Routledge (eBook).
PENNY, Ralph (2006 [2002]): Gramática histórica del español, 2ª ed. actualizada. Barcelona: Ariel.
RIDRUEJO, Emilio (1989): Las estructuras gramaticales desde el punto de vista histórico. Madrid: Síntesis.
RINI, Joel (1999): Exploring the Role of Morphology in the Evolution of Spanish. Amsterdam – Philadelphia: John Benjamins (eBook).
ROJO, Guillermo (2021): Introducción a la lingüística de corpus en español. London/New York: Routledge (eBook disponible en el catàleg UAB).
TORRUELLA, Joan (2017): Lingüística de corpus: génesis y bases metodológicas de los corpus (históricos) para la investigación en lingüística. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang (Studien zur romanischen Sprachwissenschaft und interkulturellen Kommunikation) (eBook).
URRUTIA CÁRDENAS, Hernán y Manuela ÁLVAREZ ÁLVAREZ (1983): Esquema de morfosintaxis histórica del español. Bilbao: Publicaciones de la Universidad de Deusto (eBook).
Links web:
DAVIES, Mark: Banco de datos [en línea]. Corpus del español. <http://www.corpusdelespanol.org>.
REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA: Banco de datos (CORDE) [en línea]. Corpus diacrónico del español. <http://corpus.rae.es/cordenet.html>.
REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA: Banco de datos (CREA) [en línea]. Corpus de referencia del español actual. < http://corpus.rae.es/creanet.html>.
REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA: Banco de datos (CNDHE) [en línea]. Corpus del Nuevo Diccionario Histórico del Español. <http://web.frl.es/CNDHE>.
REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA: Banco de datos (CORPES XXI) [en línea]. Corpus del Español del Siglo XXI. <http://web.frl.es/CORPES>.
TORRUELLA, Joan y Johannes KABATEK (dirs.): Portal de Corpus Históricos Iberorrománicos (CORHIBER). <http://www.corhiber.org>.
Software
No needed