Spanish Slang Brought Together - Now Wha I Meen Son?
Spain’s Royal Language Academy (RAE) has launched a three-volume dictionary aimed at standardising the language.
Besides Spain, Spanish is the mother tongue of more than 500 million people in 20 countries across the world.
Over the years, the Spanish equivalent of ‘The Queen’s English’ has, like its English counterpart, has been changed almost beyond recognition.
The new book has taken the bookworms at the RAE 11 years to compile and runs to over 4,000 pages in two volumes, with a third still in the pipeline.
The new language guidelines are set to replace the Academy’s own 1931 rules on grammar, to reflect changes that have taken place, particularly in Latin America.
RAE president Victor Garcia de la Concha said at Thursday’s launch of the book: “This book comes from the people, and it is to the people that it reaches out.
“Rules are set by speakers. What the academy does is observe and document,” the RAE president said.