Manuel Seco facts for kids

Manuel Seco Reymundo (born September 20, 1928 – died December 16, 2021) was an important Spanish expert on words. He was a lexicographer, which means he studied and wrote dictionaries. He was also a linguist, someone who studies language, and a philologist, who studies language in old texts.

Manuel Seco worked for the Real Academia Española, which is like the main Spanish language academy. He was part of their dictionary department for many years. He also became a full member of this important academy in 1980.

Manuel Seco's Early Life and Education

Manuel Seco Reymundo was born in Madrid, Spain, on September 20, 1928. His father was Rafael Seco y Sánchez, and his mother was Carmen Reymundo Mariño.

He went to the Central University of Madrid. In 1952, he earned a degree in philology. This degree focused on Romance languages, which are languages like Spanish that came from Latin. He later earned a higher degree, a doctorate, in the same field in 1969.

Manuel Seco's Work and Contributions

In 1960, Manuel Seco started teaching Spanish language and literature. Two years later, in 1962, he joined the dictionary department of the Real Academia Española. He was invited to work there by Rafael Lapesa, another famous language expert.

Seco worked at the academy for 31 years. From 2000 to 2012, he was an advisor for their Institute of Lexicography. He was very dedicated to the Spanish language. In 2011, he even shared his thoughts on some new spelling changes the academy made.

Manuel Seco is most famous for his two major dictionary works. One is called el Diccionario de dudas y dificultades de la lengua española. This dictionary helps people with common questions and tricky parts of the Spanish language. His other big work is the Diccionario del español actual. This dictionary focuses on how Spanish is used today. He wrote this one with Gabino Ramos and Olimpia Andrés.

Awards and Recognition

Manuel Seco was chosen to be a member of the Real Academia Española on April 5, 1979. He officially took his seat on November 23, 1980. He was a member of the academy for a very long time, making him their longest-serving member.

In 1999, he received a high honor called the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise. This award is given to people who have done great things in education, science, culture, and research.

In 2015, Manuel Seco won the Menéndez Pelayo International Prize. This is a very important award given to people who have made big contributions to Hispanic culture.