Spanish on the Web: Technology’s Impact and Institutional Support
Item 5: The Spanish Language on the Web
New Technologies and Institutions
Spanish is spoken by over 400 million people worldwide, rich in its geographic, social, and usage diversity. Its cohesion and survival are ensured by geographic expansion and cultural and literary development. Institutions like Language Academies and the Instituto Cervantes work to preserve the language. Academies safeguard the linguistic and literary heritage, while the Instituto Cervantes promotes the language among non-native speakers. Factors such as the media, the internet, and the influx of Anglicisms influence this diversity.
The Role of Mass Media and the Internet
Mass media plays a crucial role in spreading news and messages. Print, radio, and television were the primary forms, but the internet has become increasingly important. Online communication has evolved into a major means of distributing news, leading to changes in language use across all structural levels. Online Spanish is characterized by features of oral language, such as elliptical structures, reduced vowels and adverbs, and a conversational style. However, emails often maintain the stylistic aspects of traditional letters. This becomes more radical in direct and immediate virtual communication like chats. Netiquette often discourages correcting others’ spelling, and visual elements like emoticons, onomatopoeia, and graphic repetition enhance written communication.
Marcos Marín notes the importance of observing whether Spanish usage is increasing or decreasing online. The internet retains its character as an international language.
The internet has overtaken television as a primary leisure activity for adolescents and is increasingly used in education and business, expanding its linguistic role in supporting text.
A Quick Analysis of Online Spanish
- Absence of the letter “ñ” on English keyboards.
- Use of English syntactic structures and foreign words.
- Presence of some of the vices that journalistic language lacks.
- Web pages written for diverse cultural levels and varying language proficiency, resulting in texts with spelling and syntax errors.
The goal is for Spanish to be the language of communication among internet users in Hispanic countries. The positive outcome is the increased effort to support the language and its unity across different Hispanic countries.
Institutions Defending the Spanish Language
1. Royal Spanish Academy of Language (RAE)
Founded in 1713 by the Marquis de Villena to preserve the elegance and purity of the language. The RAE has adapted to modern times and coordinates with language academies worldwide. The first congress with these academies was held in 1951 in Mexico.
The RAE offers online consulting services, including access to the “Dictionary of the Royal Academy” and a platform for language questions. It also provides access to textual corpora: the Spanish Reference Corpus Actual (CREA) with texts from the past 25 years, and the Diachronic Corpus of Spanish (CORDE) with texts from the language’s origins to the mid-1970s. The American Academy supports the RAE’s efforts in promoting Spanish in the U.S.
2. Instituto Cervantes
A public institution created by Spain in 1991 to promote and teach Spanish language and culture. Centers are located worldwide, including New York, Tokyo, and India. The Instituto Cervantes organizes meetings, conferences, and cultural events. The Cervantes Virtual Center plays a fundamental role.
3. Other Agencies
For over 20 years, EFE DEU has contributed to “defending Spanish” with linguistic comments and clarifications on neologisms, translations, and misused terms. The New York magazine “Notes” addresses translation problems. Individual authors of websites also contribute to this defense of the Spanish language.
Conclusion
It is important to understand the challenges faced by Spanish online, to ensure a dignified presence of the language on the internet, and to recognize the efforts of public and private institutions to maintain a unified Spanish front against the constant influx of new terms worldwide.