for megawriter

Chapter 1 Discussion

Recent Changes to the Spanish Language

Background: The Real Academia Española (RAE) recently approved some official changes to the Spanish language. These changes were intended to represent a more modern and unified Spanish because they reflected trends and contributions from all Spanish-speaking countries, not just the Castile region of Spain. This caused a great deal of controversy, as the purpose of the RAE is to maintain the standards and purity of the language. However, it’s often accused of being too conservative – possibly to the point of becoming obsolete.

The Debate: Is language a growing, changing thing that should be defined by its speakers, or is it necessary to maintain strict standards in order to prevent the deterioration and fracturing of a language? Should we have such an governing body over our language?

Food for thought :

In the US, there is no academy or organization that oversees our language. The English language, like others, is always evolving. For example, very few people make the distinction between ‘who’ and ‘whom’. It is hardly ever used as it should be when it is the object of the verb, i.e, « For whom did you buy the gift ? ». Another example that is quite obvious is the use of past participles. I hear many saying, «I should have went with you. » instead of « I should have gone with you. »

These are just a few examples of how language evolves and how a once established ‘substandard’ English can be come the standard.

Share you thoughts.