La teoría lexicográfica de la Academia en los siglos XVIII y XIX a través de las Reglas

Abstract

The Rules are internal documents produced by the Royal Spanish Academy for distribution among the dictionary compilers. However, the nature of the working document means that they have not been widely distributed and have not been the subject of study as a collection, depite the fact that they contain the lexicographical theory of the Royal Academy. There are ten known works produced between 1713 and 1997. In this work those form the 18th and 19th centuries are analysed.

Emerging from this analysis are two of the most important periods for the lexicographical theory of the Academy: from the publication of Autoridades (Authorities) (1739) to its second edition (1770) and the publication of the Diccionario Vulgar (Vulgate Dictionary) in a single volume (1780), and the great reform following the 11th edition of the Dictionary (1869) which resulted in the innovative 1884 edition.

In the Rules there are criteria governing the acceptance of new voices, as well as the more important aspects to be recognised in the microstructure, and the fluctuations experienced by Academy’s lexicographical theory throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, which have proved fundamental in explaining current Spanish lexicography.