The Making of a Language: Spanish Then and Now

From its humble beginnings in the Iberian Peninsula to its multiple contemporary manifestations and global reach, Spanish is a rowdy, vibrant, multiethnic, polyphonic language, constantly changed by evolution and innovation. When did Castilian become Spanish? How did the language contribute to nation building and imperial expansion? Who decides what correct Spanish is? Does Spanish need to be protected? Can it be improved? Through the study of texts that foreground Spanish across time and place, we explore the historical forces that have shaped Spanish and current debates about the state of one of the world's most widely spoken languages.