Description
Book SynopsisThis history of the Spanish lexicon is written from the interacting perspectives of linguistic and cultural change and in the light of advances in the study of language contact and lexical change. The author describes the language inherited from spoken Latin in the Iberian Peninsula during six centuries of Roman occupation and examines the degree to which it imported words from the languages - of which only Basque survives - of pre-Roman Spain. He then shows how Germanic words were imported either indirectly through Latin or Old French or directly by contact with the Visigoths. He describes the importation of Arabisms following the eighth-century Arab conquest of Spain, distinguishing those documented in medieval sources from those adopted for everyday use, many of which survive in modern Spanish. He considers the influence of Old French and Old Provençal and identifies late direct and indirect borrowings from Latin, including the Italian elements taken up during the Renaissance. After
Trade ReviewThe scholarship in this book is, without question, of the highest calibre. This book will benefit greatly both advanced students and scholars of Spanish historical linguistics, and, as a pedagogical tool, could serve either as supplementary reading for a course on the history of the Spanish language or as the main text for a seminar on the topic for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. * Joel Rini, Bulletin of Spanish Studies *
Dworkins book is a lively and entertaining discussion of the history of the Spanish lexicon. The approach made this book difficult to put down. The books accessibility makes it a joy to read, suitable for beginning students, and yet rigorous enough for Hispanists. More books should be written in a way that encourages future students to undertake studies in the field. * Diachronica *
This History will probably be used as a reference book rather than as a good read, but the scholarly perspectives and thought processes displayed should even so impress and inspire all those who have ever wondered about the hows and whys of the provenance of Spanish vocabulary from other languages. * Roger Wright, Bulletin of Hispanic Studies *
a lively and entertaining discussion of the history of the Spanish lexicon. * John M. Ryan, Diachronica *
Table of Contents1. Language Contact and the History of the Spanish Lexicon: General and methodological questions ; 2. The Lexical Impact of the Pre-Roman Languages of the Iberian Peninsula ; 3. The Latin Base of the Spanish Lexicon ; 4. The Germanic Component of the Spanish Lexicon ; 5. The Arabic Component of the Spanish Lexicon ; 6. The Impact of Gallo-Romance on the Spanish Lexicon ; 7. The Influence of Italian on the Spanish Lexicon ; 8. Latinisms in Spanish ; 9. Portuguese and Catalan Loans in Spanish ; 10. Lexical Borrowings From the New World ; 11. Anglicisms in Spanish ; 12. Some Final Thoughts ; References ; Index Verborum ; General Index
