Nebrija and the Languages of the Americas
Discover the influence of Nebrija's book, Grammar in the Americas. This groundbreaking work ensured linguistic recognition and survival.
Elio Antonio de Nebrija
Antonio Martínez de Cala y Xarana (1441–1522) was the first Spanish Humanist. Celebrated for his Castilian Grammar (1492), he was also responsible for introducing Italian Renaissance Humanism to the Iberian Peninsula in the 1470s.
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A little bit of history …
Christopher Columbus reached the New World on October 12, 1492 while looking for the West Indies. It was a significant year in world history—the year Antonio de Nebrija published his Grammar of the Castilian Language.
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The first paragraph of the prologue, dedicated to "Princess Isabella, natural queen and lady of Spain," features a phrase which, if misrepresented, would have huge repercussions: "language was the constant companion of the empire."
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Different to what you may think, the Castilian language was not the foundation of the Spanish Empire. The very opposite is true: from 1522, Charles V promoted the official study and recognition of Amerindian (peoples living in North or South America before the Europeans arrived) languages.
Philip II (1551) by Gregorio TizianoOriginal Source: Prado Museum
In 1573, Philip II issued an order to his new subjects, stating that: "It does not seem convenient to urge them to abandon their native language; rather, teachers will be appointed for those who voluntarily wish to learn Spanish."
View of the Plaza de México (1797) by José Joaquín FabregatOriginal Source: National Library of Spain
Linguists believe that at the start of the 19th century, less than 20% of native Hispanoamericans spoke Spanish, meaning that the original languages had a greater presence in the American region population.
Map of America (1800-1899) by Tomás LópezOriginal Source: National Library of Spain
Amerindian languages
In fact, since the start of the 16th century, numerous Humanist missionaries began to elaborate grammars, or arts, as Nebrija also called them, of the native languages. Nebrija's work left its mark on the arts and vocabularies of these languages.
In 1547, Andrés de Olmos wrote down the first details of the Nahuatl language, stating that: "I will not be reprehensible if I do not follow the Art of Antonio everywhere." Similar grammars for other languages later emerged.
Quechua Grammar (1607) by Diego González HolguinFundación Antonio de Nebrija
This is the case for the Vocabulary of the General Language throughout Peru Quechua (Vocabulario de la Lengua General de Todo el Peru Quichua), compiled by Diego González. Although the Jesuit included original information, he used existing dictionaries such as Nebrija's Spanish-Latin Vocabulary (Vocabulario español-latino) to elaborate it.
Totonaca Grammar (1752) by José ZambranoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
Zambrano Bonilla did the same with his Art of the Totonac language (Arte de la Lengua Totonaca). It has the same structure as Nebrija's Introductions (Introductiones), particularly the reissues in later centuries that were already translated into Spanish.
Grammar of Tagalog (1850) by Sebastián de TotanesFundación Antonio de Nebrija
His legacy is not just reflected in the content and structure of these materials but is occasionally evident in the titles of the works, as in the work Tagalog Elucidated, and Reduced (as far as possible) to the Latinity of Nebrija (Tagalysmo Elucidado, y Reducido [en lo Possible] â la Latinidad de Nebrija).
Covers of the grammars of the Purépecha language (know by the self-imposed name Tarascan), the Otomi language (also known by its endonymous name, e.g., Hñähñu), and the Zapotec language (a set of languages in the Oto-Manguean family).
Covers of the grammars of the Yucatec Maya language (called màaya t’àan by its original speakers), the Mixtec language (part of the Oto-Manguean language family), and the Lule language (sometimes called Lule-Tonocoté).
Covers of the grammars of the Quechua language (also called Runasimi), the Mapuche language (known as Mapudungun> or Araucanian>), and the Guaraní language (part of the Tupi-Guarani family).
Covers of the grammars of the Totonac language (called Tutunakú by its speakers), the Mapuche language (also known as Quiché or Kaqchikel), and the Tagalog language (spoken in the Philippines).
Based on information from Nebrija: the Language Empire (Nebrija: El Imperio de las Lenguas) by Dario Villanueva.
Curator: Rodrigo Díaz
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