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. The earliest editions had "x" entries that no longer appear individually. The earliest editions were more extensive: they included Latin translations of the entry, in some cases gave usage examples (especially in popular phrases), and summarized the word's etymology contemporary editions do so concisely. In 1994, it was decided at the 10th Congress of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language to use the universal Latin alphabet, which does not include "ch" and "ll" as single letters. Also in 1803, the letter "x" was replaced with "j" when it had the same pronunciation as "j", and the circumflex accent (^) was eliminated. Entries starting with "ch" were placed after all the "c" entries (so czarda appeared before chacal), and "ll" entries after "l". The fourth edition of the dictionary (1803) introduced the digraphs " ch" ( che) and " ll" ( elle) to the Spanish alphabet as separate, discrete letters. By the time the second edition was published, it had become the principal dictionary, superseding its ancestor. 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 exhaustive Diccionario de Autoridades, thus offering a cheaper reference book.
Based on that work, an abridged version was published in 1780, the full title of which was Diccionario 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). The first dictionary was the six-volume Diccionario de Autoridades ( Dictionary of Authorities) from 1726 to 1739. See the section Criticism below for examples. However, after refusing to change some definitions, they were ultimately changed. : 126–127 ĭespite this policy, in the 21st century the Academy has responded to criticism about definitions considered to be derogatory or racist such as trapacero ("swindler") for gitano ("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. In 1995 it was still expected to "establish and spread the criteria of propriety and correctness". The RAE's original motto of limpia, fija y da esplendor (clean, stabilise, and give splendour ) was in more recent times modified to unifica, limpia y fija (unify, clean, and stabilise). 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. carelessness, and the excessive freedom to innovate. Its first statutes said in 1715 that the Academy's purpose was to: : 125Ĭultivate and stabilise the purity and elegance of the Castilian Spanish language, removing all the errors in words, modes of speech, and syntax that have ben introduced by ignorance, vain affectation. When the RAE was founded in 1713, one of its primary objectives was to compile an authoritative Castilian Spanish dictionary.
It is the most comprehensive and updated usage dictionary.Origin and development Purpose
In short, it gives clear answers to the doubts of those who worry about speaking and writing Spanish correctly. It is a work conceived from all the Hispanic countries, which maintains a fundamental balance between the variety of a languages spoken in so many different regions, and the linguistic unity that must be preserved. It provides recommendations presented with examples that have been extracted from real texts originating from the databases of the Real Academia Espa ola. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION The Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubts guides users throughout the proper use of the Spanish language. El Diccionario panhisp nico de dudas se basa en el uso real del espa ol y, por ello, todas las impropiedades y recomendaciones se ilustran en l con ejemplos extra dos de textos reales procedentes en su mayor a de los bancos de datos de la RAE. El Diccionario panhisp nico de dudas en un diccionario de car cter normativo, esto es, se trata de una obra que orienta sobre el buen uso del espa ol, el ideal de m xima correcci n al que un hablante tiende en situaciones formales de comunicaci n.