CHFA | Global Languages Senior Colloquium
Expulsed: The Use of Pleonasms During the Spanish Golden Age
Abstract/Description
Megan Smith
Megan Smith is a Spanish major and Linguistics minor at Murray State University. She will be graduating at the end of the Spring 2024 semester. During her time at MSU, she studied abroad for one semester in Córdoba, Spain. Although the primary focus of her studies is Spanish, she loves learning about all languages and cultures. Some of her favorite activities include hiking, swimming, writing, and enjoying time with her friends. Next year, Megan plans on attending Arizona State University with a teaching associateship to earn her master’s in Hispanic Linguistics.
Expulsed: A Historical Analysis on Pleonasms During the Spanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age (1492-1659) was a period of literary and cultural flourishing for Spain. However, despite the country’s advancements in power and prominence, the country’s reputation was not safe from outside hostility. A slew of political controversies, among which were the Spanish Inquisition, the Eighty Year’s War, and Portugal’s secession, put Spain in the hot seat of criticism from its neighbors. Unwilling to allow the slandering of the Spanish Empire’s name, Spain’s monarchy responded through historiographies that promoted the glory of the Spanish Empire by documenting its conquests. Although the contents of Spanish historiographies have been extensively studied, their use of rhetoric as a persuasive tool has not. My research analyzes the frequency and context of pleonasms within historiographies of this period and how they changed to follow the popular rhetoric of the time. I analyze pleonasms because their use as a rhetorical tool is controversial and adapts to suit the needs of a culture. By comparing the use of pleonasms in Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés’ General and Natural History of the Indias (1538) and Antonio de Solís’ History of the Conquest of Mexico: Population and Progresses of Northern America, Known by the Name New Spain (1691), I argue that Spanish historiographies reduced their use of pleonasms over time to conform with the writing standards of neighboring countries, thereby making the historiographies more compelling to foreigners. In this way, Spain defended its reputation during this sensitive period of rapid development and political change.
Expulsed: The Use of Pleonasms During the Spanish Golden Age
Megan Smith
Megan Smith is a Spanish major and Linguistics minor at Murray State University. She will be graduating at the end of the Spring 2024 semester. During her time at MSU, she studied abroad for one semester in Córdoba, Spain. Although the primary focus of her studies is Spanish, she loves learning about all languages and cultures. Some of her favorite activities include hiking, swimming, writing, and enjoying time with her friends. Next year, Megan plans on attending Arizona State University with a teaching associateship to earn her master’s in Hispanic Linguistics.
Expulsed: A Historical Analysis on Pleonasms During the Spanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age (1492-1659) was a period of literary and cultural flourishing for Spain. However, despite the country’s advancements in power and prominence, the country’s reputation was not safe from outside hostility. A slew of political controversies, among which were the Spanish Inquisition, the Eighty Year’s War, and Portugal’s secession, put Spain in the hot seat of criticism from its neighbors. Unwilling to allow the slandering of the Spanish Empire’s name, Spain’s monarchy responded through historiographies that promoted the glory of the Spanish Empire by documenting its conquests. Although the contents of Spanish historiographies have been extensively studied, their use of rhetoric as a persuasive tool has not. My research analyzes the frequency and context of pleonasms within historiographies of this period and how they changed to follow the popular rhetoric of the time. I analyze pleonasms because their use as a rhetorical tool is controversial and adapts to suit the needs of a culture. By comparing the use of pleonasms in Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés’ General and Natural History of the Indias (1538) and Antonio de Solís’ History of the Conquest of Mexico: Population and Progresses of Northern America, Known by the Name New Spain (1691), I argue that Spanish historiographies reduced their use of pleonasms over time to conform with the writing standards of neighboring countries, thereby making the historiographies more compelling to foreigners. In this way, Spain defended its reputation during this sensitive period of rapid development and political change.