First Romance Language Grammar

Exploring the Early Americas The Jay I. Kislak Collection

Pre-Contact America | Explorations and Encounters | Aftermath of the Encounter

Urban Landscapes | Ritual, Ceremonies, and Celebrations | Language and Context | Recording History | The Heavens and Time

Antonio de Nebrija. (1441–1522).
Gramática de la lengua castellana [Grammar of the Castilian language].
Salamanca: 1492.
Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (26)

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Antonio de Nebrija, the first modern philologist, published this grammar of Castilian, the language of northern Spain, in 1492. The book was the first printed grammar of any romance language. By applying the language structure organized in Nebrija’s landmark study to the languages of the indigenous cultures, missionaries were able to learn New World languages and communicate with the peoples they encountered.