This book studies the differences of pronunciation and grammar that exist within the Spanish-speaking world, and traces their origins in the frequent mixing of dialects in Spanish-speaking communities from the Middle Ages to the present day. It emphasizes the subtlety and seamlessness of language variation, both geographical and social, and shows how the constant process of mixing has rendered Spanish particularly subject to leveling of its linguistic irregularities and to simplification of its structures, both in Europe and later in the Americas.

This book applies recent theoretical insights to trace the development of Castilian and Latin American Spanish from the Middle Ages onwards, through processes of repeated dialect mixing both within the Iberian Peninsula and in the New World. The author contends that it was this frequent mixing which caused Castilian to evolve more rapidly than other varieties of Hispano-Romance, and which rendered Spanish particularly subject to levelling of its linguistic irregularities and to simplification of its structures. These two processes continued as the language extended into and across the Americas. These processes are viewed in the context of the Hispano-Romance dialect continuum, which includes Galician, Portuguese and Catalan, as well as New World varieties. The book emphasises the subtlety and seamlessness of language variation, both geographical and social, and the impossibility of defining strict boundaries between varieties. Its conclusions will be relevant both to Hispanists and to historical sociolinguists more generally.

This revised and expanded edition of Ralph Penny's authoritative text includes new material on 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.

This revised and expanded edition of Ralph Penny's authoritative text includes new material on 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.