A History of the Spanish Language

This is a thoroughly revised, updated and expanded 2002 edition of Ralph Penny's authoritative textbook, first published in 1991, which provides a clear and elegant account of the development of Spanish over the last 2,000 years. Although principally oriented towards 'internal' history, 'external' history is also considered and referred to throughout. In this new edition, as well as adding insights from more recent scholarship throughout the text, Professor Penny has added a chapter which discusses the nature of linguistic history, the concept of World Spanish, processes of convergence and divergence in Spanish, and the English/Spanish interface. This edition also contains a glossary of technical terms, guidance on further reading, and suggested topics for discussion.

Reviews & endorsements

'Penny marshals the linguistic facts with considerable skill and manages consistently to tame complex or untidy phenomena without over simplifying them … the publication of the revised edition is a significant event in Spanish linguistics and I imagine that anyone leading a course on the history of Spanish will already have ordered multiple library copies.' Bulletin of Spanish Studies

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Product details

• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Date Published: October 2002
• format: Paperback
• isbn: 9780521011846
• length: 420 pages

• dimensions: 226 x 147 x 25 mm
• weight: 0.66kg
• contains: 6 maps 68 tables
• availability: Available