The linguistic definitions of ‘Leonese’ in the Spanish Language Dictionaries

Abstract

The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) has regulated the Spanish language since 1713, and it has included terms related to linguistic phenomena in its dictionaries, including Leonese, though not without debate. In the 20th century, the Leonese language experienced a resurgence in academic, social, and cultural interest. This resurgence led to the first definitions of ‘Leonese’ appearing in RAE dictionaries in the 1980s. This article analytically explores the historical evolution of ‘Leonese’ entries, addressing their content and internal logic. The analysis covers all instances of the term ‘Leonese’ in the Dictionaries of the Spanish Language (DLE), addressing related terms: ‘Astur-Leonese,’ ‘dialect,’ and ‘romance.’