Early Modern Spanish facts for kids

Early Modern Spanish is a version of the Spanish language that was spoken between the late 1400s and the late 1600s. It is sometimes called classical Spanish or Golden Age Spanish. This period saw many important changes in how Spanish sounds were made and how its grammar worked. These changes helped turn Old Spanish into the Modern Spanish we know today.

During this time, Spanish explorers and settlers were busy colonizing the Americas. Because of this, Early Modern Spanish became the foundation for all the different types of Spanish spoken in the New World. Interestingly, Judaeo-Spanish, also known as Ladino, kept some older sounds and words from Old Spanish that disappeared from other Spanish versions.

However, Early Modern Spanish was not exactly the same everywhere in Spain. Different areas had slightly different pronunciations and changes happened at different times. For example, the Spanish spoken in Toledo was considered the "best" version, and it was different from the Spanish spoken in Madrid.

How Spanish Sounds Changed

One of the biggest changes in Early Modern Spanish was how certain sounds, called sibilants, were pronounced. Sibilants are sounds like 's' or 'sh'. Between the late 1500s and mid-1600s, some voiced sibilants (like the 'z' in "zoo") lost their voicing and became voiceless (like the 's' in "sun").

• The sound /h/, which came from an old 'f' sound, slowly became silent in most places. However, it still exists in some words in parts of Andalusia and Extremadura in Spain.
• In the Americas, the Canary Islands, and most of Andalusia, two 's' sounds merged into one. In central and northern Spain, one 's' sound changed to a 'th' sound (like in "think"), while the other 's' sound stayed the same. This is why Spanish in Spain often has the 'th' sound for 'c' and 'z', but Spanish in Latin America uses an 's' sound.
• Many Spanish dialects lost the difference between the 'll' sound (like in "tortilla") and the 'y' sound (like in "yes"). This change is called yeísmo. However, in some parts of Spain and South America (like Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru), these two sounds are still kept separate.

How Spanish Grammar Changed

Early Modern Spanish also saw important changes in how people used pronouns, especially when talking about "you."

• Second-Person Pronouns: In Old Spanish, the word vos was used for both a formal "you" (singular) and a plural "you." To make things clearer, two new forms appeared:

* Usted: This word came from "your grace" (vuestra merced). It became the polite way to say "you" to one person. * Vosotros: This word became the common way to say "you all" or "you guys." However, in parts of Andalusia, the Canary Islands, and all of the Americas, vosotros was not used. Instead, ustedes became the word for both formal and informal "you all."

• "Se lo" Construction: In medieval Spanish, phrases like gelo meant "I gave it to him/her." As the 'j' sound changed, these forms were reinterpreted as se lo, se la, se los, and se las. So, digelo (I gave it to him/her) became díselo in Early Modern Spanish, and then se lo di in Modern Spanish.
• Clitic Pronouns: These are small pronouns like "me," "te," "se." In Early Modern Spanish, they were often attached to the end of a verb, like in Portuguese. For example, people would say enfermose (he got sick) or muriose (he died). But over time, they started to be placed before the verb, which is the normal way in Modern Spanish: se enfermó and se murió.

How Spanish Spelling Changed

Spelling in Early Modern Spanish was quite messy! Unlike today's Spanish, which has clear rules from the Real Academia Española (a group that sets language standards), there was no official guide. Writers and printers often spelled words however they thought best. Spelling wasn't seen as very important. Sometimes, words were even spelled based on their old Latin origins, not how they were actually pronounced. This makes it a challenge for people today who study old texts from that time.

See also

In Spanish: Español medio para niños