Romance glottonyms and lexicographic hierarchy in the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy: Castilian, Catalan, Galician, and Valencian, 1780–2001

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to present a diachronic analysis of how four selected Romance glottonyms—Castilian, Catalan, Galician, and Valencian—were categorized and defined across successive editions of the dictionaries published by the Real Academia Española between 1780 and 2001. Using critical lexicography, the study examined the metalinguistic labels assigned to these glottonyms, their historical and geographical framing, and the patterns of omission and asymmetry that structure their lexicographic treatment. Analysis revealed differentiated definitional trajectories. While Castilian was progressively consolidated as the national language, Catalan, Galician, and Valencian were subject to more unstable and often subordinate forms of representation, including delayed recognition, regional confinement, and hierarchical classification. The study concluded that the institutional dictionary helped constitute, stabilize, and legitimize asymmetrical relationships among Romance glottonyms in Spain.