The History of Spanish
A Student's Introduction

Provides students with an engaging and thorough overview of the history of Spanish and its development from Latin.

Diana L. Ranson (Author), Margaret Lubbers Quesada (Author)

9781316507940, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 4 October 2018

452 pages, 34 b/w illus.
24.5 x 17.5 x 2.2 cm, 0.91 kg

'an excellent textbook for an introductory course on the history of the Spanish language. The breadth of topics covered, presented in an engaging, easy-to-read style, and the inclusion of a wide-range of thought-provoking activities make it an invaluable resource for students and instructors alike.' Sonia Kania, La corónica: A Journal of Medieval Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

This concise textbook provides students with an engaging and thorough overview of the history of Spanish and its development from Latin. Presupposing no prior knowledge of Latin or linguistics, students are provided with the background necessary to understand the history of Spanish. Short, easy-to-digest chapters feature numerous practice exercises and activities. Chapter 'Lead-in' questions draw comparisons between English and Spanish, enabling students to use their intuition about their native language to gain a deeper understanding of Spanish. Each chapter features further reading suggestions, an outline, and a summary. Highlighted key terms are collated in a glossary. Boxes on linguistic debates teach students to evaluate arguments and think critically about linguistics. Supporting online resources include Word files of all the practices and activities in the book and an instructor's manual featuring a sample syllabus, answer key to the practices and activities, sample exams and teaching suggestions. This book is ideal for a range of courses on the history of Spanish and Spanish linguistics.

List of figures
List of maps
List of tables
Preface for students
Preface for instructors
Acknowledgments
1. Why do Spanish speakers say el arte but las artes? The value of studying the history of Spanish
2. Is it wrong to say cantastes instead of cantaste? A linguist's attitude and approach to language
3. How and why do languages change and how do linguists know?
4. Did /f/ change to /h/ in Spanish because of Basque? Four moments of language contact in the history of Spanish
5. Why is Spanish also called Castilian? The standardization process and its effects
6. How did FESTA become fiesta but FESTÎVUM became festivo? Regular vowel changes
7. How did ACÛTUM become agudo? Regular consonant changes
8. Why is 'milk' leche but 'Milky Way' is Via Láctea? Special tonic vowel changes
9. Why fieldad but lealtad? Special consonant changes
10. Why do Spanish speakers sometimes say andé instead of anduve? Morphological changes
11. Why is mano feminine and día masculine? Changes in case, declension, number, and gender
12. Why do Spanish speakers sometimes say más malo instead of peor? Origins of nominal elements
13. Why are there so many verb tenses in Spanish? Origins of verbs
14. Why is comeré the future of comer but sabré is the future of saber? How regular sound change and analogy lead to regular and irregular forms
15. Do you say veo el gato or veo al gato? Syntactic changes
16. How did MÛSC?LUM 'little mouse' become Spanish muslo 'thigh'? Semantic changes
17. Why perro 'dog' instead of can? Lexical changes
Appendix: Selections from old Spanish texts
El Auto de los Reyes Magos
Cantar de mio Cid
Razon feita d'amor
Milagros de Nuestra Señora
Calila e Dimna
Glossary of terms
Works cited
Word index
Subject index.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD], Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF], Linguistics [CF], Language: history & general works [CBX]