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This paper aims at showing the areas of coincidence and dissidence between the Spanish and Italian languages and the possible consequences that the contrastive factor has on the possibility of intercomprehension and on the perspective of learning both as foreign languages. The topics of intercomprehension and the learning of foreign languages are associated not only with the concepts enunciated by Umberto Eco for Romance languages, but also with languages with less structural affinity. Our focus is the pragmatic distinctions beyond structural similarities and differences, arguing that the problem of the distance and proximity of two languages is centered on cultural heritage, rather than being strictly linguistic. To this end we provide didactic resources verified in university experience which can serve to channel and make explicit the intercultural experiences of future professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I describe focalizing syntactic structures in which the so-called que galicado (que used instead of the "canonical" relative pronouns or adverbs) is used. I also make reference to its origins, which several scholars of Spanish have attributed to the influence of other Romance languages. Empirical studies, however, show that que galicado seems to relate to a generalized linguistic tendency, even though the contact of Spanish with other languages, especially French, could favor its use. Several studies on the subject show that the occurrence of que galicado seems to be conditioned by dialectal regions (more frequent use in Spanish speaking Latin America than in Spain), speakers' socioeconomic status, and most of all, by the syntactic function of the focalized constituent, its grammatical category and number of syllables. Some recommendations about the use of que galicado are made in the final part of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at providing evidence of the increasing presence of English borrowings in current Spanish. It focuses on the analysis of 12 issues of the wellknown magazine Cahiers du Cinema published between 2008 and 2009. This study examines a sample of 985 anglicisms that are used in this publication. When comparing the findings of this research and other similar ones carried out in Spain (Botella, 2001; Guzmán, 2008), there seems to be an increasing tendency to use these borrowings in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spanish linguistic identity is very solid, but native speakers do not always demonstrate uniformity in their way of denominating the language, "Spanish or Castilian?" Some show synonymy, generally preferring one of the two terms; others opt for the more modern and international term: Spanish. Through the preference of the term "Castilian" we can track the inheritance and influence of 19th century educational politics or a range of circumstantial sociopolitical attitudes which are far removed from the language. In environments in which non-native, second or foreign languages are taught, the language is unanimously denominated ,Spanish; however; above all there exist doubts among non-native teachers and in non-Hispanic countries as to what name should be used to refer to the language. This uncertainty is a reflection of the long-standing controversy abetted by the fact that the very maturity of the Spanish nation as a modern state occurred after its power and language had spread extensively; the terms for the language are therefore consequently controversial as well. This paper studies the constitutions of Hispanic countries in respect to whether or not a name is recognized for their official language (with special attention being given to the Spanish Constitution due to its complexity), and they are contrasted with a study of occurrences of the terms Spanish and Castilian in the Spanish Diachronic corpus (CORDE) and the Present corpus (CREA) of RAE, for all Hispanic countries. Additionally, results of the agreements between the worldwide Academies of the Spanish Language are presented as they are reflected in the definitions in the Diccionario de la Lengua Española (the most updated, electronic version) and the Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]