Periodización del español. Evidencia para una tercera etapa evolutiva Periodization of Spanish. Evidence for a third period of its evolution

In this work we provide further evidence in support of the hypothesis that we first formulated in 2003 regarding the association of the 19th century with the beginnings of the third historical period of the Spanish language. We first establish that the traditional division of the history of the Spanish language in two major periods —“medieval” Spanish (12th to 15th centuries) and “modern” Spanish, starting during the 16th and 17th centuries and continuing until the present (Cano Aguilar 1988; Lapesa [1942] 1981; Penny 1993; Spaulding 1943)— is premature, considering the shortage of studies dedicated to the evolution of Spanish after the language reached its so-called