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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 studies the origin, current usage and norms of usage of the Spanish gerund using corpora of spoken and written language. Our findings show that the present variety of uses of the gerund is a result of two very different Latin forms: the ablative form of gerund and the present participle. The convergence of these two forms is also partially responsible for the frequent disagreement among grammarians on the correctness of some usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of youth language has grown during the last decades, and covers quite a few of the particular features and ways of communicating that characterize young people. Contrastive studies in this area, however, are few and far between, no doubt due to the lack of corpora. In this paper, which is based on two corpora of youth language, COLT and COLAm, we compare some aspects of the use of the pragmatic markers like and como by adolescents in London and Madrid. Like and como are used for the same functions, although like is used twice as frequently as como. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze Exonymy in Toponymy within the framework of the current Spanish language, i.e. the existence of place names that have been phonetically and graphically adapted into Spanish from their own forms in different languages, including other languages of Spain (Rumania, Pekín, Orense, Gerona…). Although there is a significant trend that seeks to limit the use of exonyms or exotoponyms, when they are traditional forms in language, they prove to be another of its components, and one that should not necessarily be eradicated. The study focuses on the use of exotoponyms in the media, from the rules in their respective Stylebooks. This is a good way to approach the reality of language, at least with regards to this aspect, since the discrepancies observed in them reflect, in many cases, the confusion that now surrounds this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper lies in the category of research on sports terminology as a language for specific purposes. Hence, it is a study with a lexicological and lexicographical perspective, concerning the Spanish language and bilingual dictionaries. On this occasion, I will deal with meanings and sports terms in Laura Tam's Grande Dizionario di Spagnolo, distinguishing between terms of a specific nature, entries of a generic nature in the milieu of sports and, finally, non-descript terms. The study concludes with a comparison of terms in the Spanish-Italian section and those in the Italian- Spanish section, with an analysis of the differences. A selection of some of the most representative terms will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is fourfold: (1) to point out the existence of two types of atypical verb+noun collocations in Spanish, that are the concealing collocations and the metaphorical collocations; (2) to describe their main semantic characteristics; (3) to analyze two semantic processes in the selection of the collocator in these collocations; and (4) to study the distinction between metaphorical collocations and verbal idioms. [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]