History of the Spanish Language
Code: 106377 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish Language and Literature | OB | 3 |
Contact
- Name:
- Natalia Terron Vinagre
- Email:
- natalia.terron@uab.cat
Teachers
- Gloria Clavería Nadal
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
By obtaining the minimum of credits in basic training subjects, students have demonstrated to have acquired the basic competences and they will be able to express themselves orally and in writing.
For this reason, any spelling and expression errors you may make will result in a 0.25 point reduction in the grade for all assessment activities.
It is also expected that the student knows the general rules of submission of an academic work. However, the student could apply the specific rules that the teacher of the subject may indicate to him, if he deems it necessary.
Students in exchange programs: the subject requires a high level of proficiency in Spanish.
Objectives and Contextualisation
"History of the Spanish Language" is integrated into the subject of Spanish language: variation and diachrony, which is part of the 108 credits of compulsory education of the Spanish Language and Literature Degree, which the student attends along with other Spanish language subjects.
Objectives and contextualization
Systematic knowledge of the main characteristics of the history of the Spanish language through the analysis of texts from different periods.
Acquisition of the basic tools of linguistic-philological analysis of texts and resolution of issues related to the historical-linguistic analysis.
Use of advanced bibliographical sources of the historical study of language.
Competences
- Analyse the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the Spanish language, its evolution throughout history and its current structure.
- Develop arguments applicable to the fields of Hispanic literature, literary theory, Spanish language and linguistics, and evaluate their academic relevance.
- Identify the linguistic characteristics of the different periods in the evolution of the Spanish language.
- Introduce changes in the methods and processes of the field of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and demands of society.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply the principles of historical linguistics to describe the evolution of Spanish.
- Assess linguistic diversity from a diachronic point of view.
- Describe the main stages in the history of the Spanish language (Medieval Romance, Classical Spanish, Modern Spanish) on the basis of its linguistic characteristics and its external conditioning factors.
- Justify by means of appropriate terminology the analysis of data from a linguistic point of view.
- Make linguistic predictions and inferences about the content of a text.
- Make linguistic-philological comments on ancient texts and situate them in their corresponding period.
- Recognise and describe the evolution of the morphological and syntactic system of Spanish from Latin to the present day.
- Recognise and describe the evolution of the Spanish lexicon from Latin to the present day.
- Recognise and describe the evolution of the Spanish phonic system and its associated graphemic features from Latin to the present day.
- Use digital tools to obtain, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of Spanish language and literature.
- Use the appropriate terminology in the construction of an academic text and in the transmission of their knowledge.
- Use traditional sources to obtain, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of Spanish language and literature.
Content
1. Medieval romance. The birth of new writing and the first texts. Linguistic and textual features of medieval romance.
2. Classical and modern Spanish. Linguistic and textual features of classical and modern Spanish. The formation and evolution of the linguistic norm. The expansion of Spanish outside Spain. The reflection on the language.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes and seminars and practical sessions led by the teacher | 54 | 2.16 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Supervised | 15 | 0.6 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Autonomous activity | 75 | 3 |
The learning of this subject 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 teacher, 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 production 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 tests.
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.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical exercise (tema 1) | 20 % | 1.5 | 0.06 | 1, 3, 6, 5, 11, 10, 12, 4, 8, 9, 7, 2 |
| Theoretical-practical exercise (tema 1) | 30 % | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 3, 6, 5, 11, 10, 12, 4, 8, 9, 7, 2 |
| Written test (topic 2) | 50 % | 2.5 | 0.1 | 1, 3, 6, 5, 11, 10, 12, 4, 8, 9, 7, 2 |
Continuous Assessment:
- Practical Exercise (20%): A practical activity on the contents of Topic 1.
- Theoretical-Practical Exercise (30%): A theoretical-practical activity on the contents of Topic 1.
- Written Test (50%): The theoretical-practical exam will cover all the contents of Topic 2.
Single Assessment:
- Practical Exercise (20%): A practical activity on the contents of Topic 1.
- Theoretical-Practical Exercise (30%): A theoretical-practical activity on the contents of Topic 1.
- Written Test (50%): The theoretical-practical exam will cover all the contents of Topic 2.
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
To pass the course, it is necessary to obtain at least a 5 on the weighted average of the assessment activities.
Students who do not achieve this grade and who have previously been assessed on at least two-thirds of the course may participate in the resit, provided they have obtained a minimum average grade of 3.5.
Students will receive a grade of Not Assessable if they have not completed more than 30% of the assessment activities.
If a student commits any type of irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade for a given assessment, they will be given a 0, regardless of any disciplinary process that may result. If multiple irregularities are found in the assessments for the same course, the final grade for that course will be 0.
Erasmus students who wish to take an exam must present to the professor a written document from their home university that justifies their request.
This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will beconsidered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
Bibliography
Ariza, Manuel (1998): El comentario filológico de textos, Madrid: Arco/Libros.
Cano Aguilar, Rafael (1988): El español a través de los tiempos, Arco/Libros: Madrid.
Cano Aguilar, Rafael (1991): Comentario filológico de textos, Madrid: Taurus.
Cano Aguilar, Rafael (1998): Comentario filológico de textos medievales no literarios, Madrid: Arco/Libros.
Cano Aguilar, Rafael (coord.) (2004): Historia de la lengua española, Barcelona: Ariel Lingüística. Edición digital (2024): Historia de la lengua española. Sevilla: Editorial Universidad de Sevilla (Colección Manuales Universitarios, nº 106). https://dx.doi.org/10.12795/9788447225828
Corominas, Juan, y José Antonio Pascual (1980-1991): Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos; edición en CD-ROM (2012).
Dworkin, Steven N. (2012): A history of the Spanish lexicon: a linguistic perspective, Oxford: U. P.
Dworkin, Steven N. (2018): A guide to Old Spanish, Oxford: U. P.
Dworkin, Steven N., Gloria Clavería Nadal, Álvaro S. Octavio de Toledo y Huerta (eds.) (2023): Lingüística histórica del español / The Routledge Handbook of Spanish Historical Linguistics, Londres: Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003035565/ling%C3%BC%C3%ADstica-hist%C3%B3rica-del-espa%C3%B1ol-routledge-handbook-spanish-historical-linguistics-steven-dworkin-gloria-claver%C3%ADa-nadal-%C3%A1lvaro-octavio-de-toledo-huerta
Echenique, M.ª Teresa y Juan Sánchez Méndez (2005): Las lenguas de un reino: historia lingüística hispánica, Madrid: Gredos.
Lapesa, Rafael (19819): Historia de la lengua española, Madrid: Gredos.
Lapesa, Rafael (1985): Estudios de historia de la lingüística española, Madrid: Paraninfo.
Lapesa, Rafael (1996): El español moderno y contemporáneo. Estudios lingüísticos, Barcelona: Crítica.
Lleal, Coloma (1990): La formación de las lenguas romances peninsulares, Barcelona: Barcanova.
Menéndez Pidal, Ramón (1904/197715): Manual de gramática histórica española, Madrid: Espasa-Calpe.
Menéndez Pidal, Ramón (1926/19809): Orígenes del español. Estado lingüístico de la Península Ibérica hasta el siglo XI, Madrid: Espasa-Calpe.
Menéndez Pidal, Ramón (2005): Historia de la lengua española, edición al cuidado de D. Catalán, 2 vols., Madrid: Fundación Ramón Menéndez Pidal-Real Academia Española.
Moreno Fernández, Francisco (2005): Historia social de las lenguas de España, Barcelona: Ariel.
Penny, Ralph (1993): Gramática histórica del español, Barcelona: Ariel.
Penny, Ralph (2000): Variación y cambio en español, Madrid: Gredos, 2004.
Pons, Lola (2010): La lengua de ayer. Manual práctico de historia del español, Madrid: Arco/Libros.
Pountain, Christopher (2001): A History of Spanish Language through Texts, Routledge: London and New York.
Ridruejo, Emilio (ed.) (2019): Manual de lingüística española, Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
Real Academia Española (2011): Nueva gramática de la lengua española. Fonética y fonología yDVD: Las voces del español. Tiempo y espacio, Madrid: Espasa.
Torrens, M.ª Jesús (2007): Evolución e historia de la lengua española, Madrid: Arco/Libros.
Software
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Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Spanish | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Spanish | second semester | morning-mixed |