Viejas historias de Castilla la Vieja (Old Stories of Old Castile) is a short novel about Old Castile, the historic region and birthplace of Spanish author Miguel Delibes (1920-2010). The novel was published in 1964. Castilians revere their language, which they refer to not as Spanish but Castellano (Castilian). Castilians think of their language as the purest and most traditional form of Spanish. This is motivated by two factors. In the thirteenth century, King Alfonso designated Castilian the official language of the government. Castilians still take pride in this prestige. In addition, the Renaissance scholar Antonio de Nebrija wrote the first book of Spanish grammar, the Gramática Castellana, and also created a complete Spanish-language dictionary, both in 1492.
Read Full Article »
