.jpg) The Twenty-Third Edition of 2014 | |
| Language | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Subject | Spanish language |
| Publisher | Royal Spanish Academy |
Publication date |
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| Publication place | Spain |
| Website | https://dle.rae.es |
TheDiccionario de la lengua española[a] (DLE;[b] English:Dictionary of the Spanish language) is the authoritativedictionary of theSpanish language.[1] It is produced, edited, and published by theRoyal Spanish Academy, with the participation of theAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language. It was first published in 1780, as theDiccionario de la lengua castellana[2] and subsequent editions have been published about once a decade. The twenty-third edition was published in 2014; it is available online, incorporating modifications to be included in the twenty-fourth print edition.[3]
The dictionary was created to maintain the linguistic purity of the Spanish language; unlike many English-language dictionaries, it is intended to be authoritative andprescriptive,[4] rather thandescriptive.[5]
When the RAE was founded in 1713, one of its primary objectives was to compile an authoritativeSpanish dictionary. Its first statutes said in 1715 that its purpose was to:[4]: 125
cultivate and stabilise the purity and elegance of the Castilian language, removing all the errors in words, modes of speech, and syntax that have been introduced by ignorance, vain affectation, carelessness, and the excessive freedom to innovate. It will be used to distinguish foreign words, phrases and constructions from our own, the outdated from the current, the low and rustic from the courtly and elevated, burlesque from seriousness, and, finally, the accurate from the inaccurate.[6]
The RAE's original motto oflimpia, fija y da esplendor (It cleans, stabilises, and gives splendour [to the language]) was in more recent times modified tounifica, limpia y fija (it unifies, cleans, and stabilises).[7] In 1995 it was still expected to "establish and spread the criteria of propriety and correctness".[4]: 126–127 [8]
Despite this policy, in the 21st century the Academy has responded to criticism about definitions considered to be derogatory or racist such astrapacero ("swindler") forgitano ("gypsy") by saying that the dictionary tries to reflect actual usage, and that nothing is changed by removing the definition from the dictionary, education must be used to eradicate inappropriate usages.[9] However, after refusing to change some definitions, they were ultimately changed. See the sectionCriticism below for examples.
The first dictionary was the six-volumeDiccionario de Autoridades (Dictionary of Authorities) from 1726 to 1739. Based on that work, an abridged version was published in 1780, the full title of which wasDiccionario de la lengua castellana compuesto por la Real Academia Española, reducido á un tomo para su más fácil uso (Dictionary of the Castilian tongue composed by the Royal Spanish Academy, reduced to one volume for its easier use). According to its prologue, the dictionary was published for general public access during the long time between the publishing of the first and second editions of the exhaustiveDiccionario de Autoridades, thus offering a cheaper reference book. By the time the second edition was published, it had become the principal dictionary, superseding its ancestor.
The fourth edition of the dictionary (1803) introduced thedigraphs "ch" (che) and "ll" (elle) to the Spanish alphabet as separate, discrete letters. Entries starting with "ch" were placed after all the "c" entries (soczarda appeared beforechacal), and "ll" entries after "l". Also in 1803, the letter "x" was replaced with "j" when it had the same pronunciation as "j", and thecircumflex accent (^) was eliminated.[citation needed] In 1994, it was decided at the 10th Congress of theAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language to use the universalLatin alphabet, which does not include "ch" and "ll" as single letters.[10]
The earliest editions were more extensive: they includedLatin translations of the entry, in some cases gaveusage examples (especially in popular phrases), and summarised the word'setymology; contemporary editions do so concisely. The earliest editions had "x" entries that no longer appear individually.[citation needed]
Historically, the decision to add, modify, or delete words from the dictionary has been made by the RAE, in consultation with other language authorities (especially in Latin America) when there was an uncertainty. This process continued between 1780 and 1992, but, since the 1992 edition, RAE committees, the Instituto de Lexicografía, and the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language—which specifically deals withAmerican vocabulary—collaborate in producing theDictionary of the Spanish Language.[11]
The editions are listed on the RAE Web site, and the forewords of former editions can be accessed from there.[3] Some editions, including the 1726–1739Diccionario de autoridades, are available infacsimile,[12] or for online search.[13]
Until the twenty-first edition, theDLE was published exclusively on paper. The 2001, twenty-second edition was published on paper, CD-ROM, and on the Internet with free access. The 23rd edition of 2014 was made available online with free access,[2] incorporating modifications to be included in the twenty-fourth print edition.
Sample entries, with explanation of annotations and abbreviations, are available from the RAE Web site.[14]
From the first edition (1780) through the fourth edition (1803), the dictionary was known as theDiccionario de la lengua castellana compuesto por la Real Academia Española (Dictionary of the Castilian language composed by the Spanish Royal Academy). From the fifth edition (1817) through the fourteenth edition (1914), it was known as theDiccionario de la lengua castellana por la Real Academia Española (Dictionary of the Castilian language by the Spanish Royal Academy). Starting with the fifteenth edition (1925), it has been known as theDiccionario de la lengua española (Dictionary of the Spanish language), to recognise the many regions of the Spanish-speaking world.[3]
Many Spanish dictionaries have had racial and religious bias over the centuries; theDLE is no exception. Christianity and Catholicism were described in favourable terms; Judaism, Islam, and Protestantism unfavourably.[15] By 2021 few biased definitions remained in the updated onlineDLE;[15]: iv one that could be considered biased is one of the uses ofmoro (Moor, i.e. Muslim) – 10: (colloquial) A jealous and possessive man, who dominates his partner.[16]
In 2006, the Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities complained that some of the dictionary's entries and definitions about Judaism were racist and offensive.[17] One definition ofsinagoga (synagogue) was: "a meeting for illicit ends"; the nominal definition of 'synagogue' was given first, and the pejorative definition was so identified. This had been removed by 2021.[18]
In November 2014, Romani in Spain complained about RAE at theEuropean Court of Human Rights.[19]Yerba-buena, an association of Spanishgitanos ("gypsies" in English), complained that one definition ofGitano: "one who practices deceit" or "one who tricks", is offensive and could encourage racism.[9] The RAE responded that the wordgitano is actually used with the meaning of "trickster" in Spanish,[20] and that the dictionary documents the actual use of words; inappropriate use has to be eradicated by education, removing the word from the dictionary does not change its use: "we simply photograph the landscape; we do not create it".[17] However, in November 2014 it was announced that the definition was to be modified,[21] and in October 2015 it was changed,[22] withtrapacero included in the definitions in the updated online dictionary, but labelled "used as offensive or discriminatory".[23]
RAE also defined "woman" as the "weak sex".[24] In November 2017, the term was examined[25][26] and one month later it was changed.[27]