Academia Argentina de Letras

The Academia Argentina de Letras is an important group that studies and helps guide the use of the Spanish language in Argentina. It was created on August 13, 1931, and works closely with the Royal Spanish Academy and other academies around the world that care about the Spanish language, like the Association of Spanish Language Academies. Since 1999, it has been officially recognized as a correspondent academy of the Royal Spanish Academy.

Today, the academy has about two dozen full members. These members are chosen because they are experts in studying language or literature. They lead the academy and also help choose other special members, called honorary and correspondent members.

History

Antecedents

Early efforts to study the Spanish language in the Río de la Plata area began with a small dictionary made in 1845 by Francisco Javier Muñiz, and another in 1860 by Juan María Gutiérrez. In 1873, a group of Argentine thinkers formed the Argentine Academy of Sciences and Letters, led by poet Martín Coronado. This academy worked on many areas of knowledge, including language, but it disbanded in 1879 before finishing its dictionary project.

Later, in 1903, Estanislao Zeballos suggested forming an Argentine section of the Royal Spanish Academy, but this did not happen until 1910 when Eugenio Sellés helped create the first Academia Argentina de la Lengua. This group also faced challenges and eventually dissolved.

Founding

On August 13, 1931, President José Félix Uriburu officially created the Academia Argentina de Letras. The name change from "la Lengua" to "Letras" showed the academy’s new focus on promoting Argentine literature along with the Spanish language. The academy aimed to strengthen Argentina’s cultural identity through stories, poems, and plays. Calixto Oyuela became its first president, and the academy was given space in the old National Library.

Development

Since its founding, the academy has made a few changes. Starting in 1935, each of its 24 seats was named after a famous Argentine writer. In 1940, artist Alfredo Guido designed the academy’s emblem, an ionic column with the motto “Recta sustenta.” After a military coup in 1955, some members faced trouble because of their political ties.

In 1999, the academy became an official correspondent of the Royal Spanish Academy. In 2001, it celebrated its 70th anniversary with an exhibition at the National Library.

Work

The Academia Argentina de Letras works to study and guide the use of Spanish in Argentina. It focuses on the special way Spanish is spoken in the Río de la Plata Basin, which includes Argentina and Uruguay. The academy also helps protect and promote literature, seeing it as important to Argentina's culture.

The academy gives out prizes for great writing and also runs a special library named after the famous writer Jorge Luis Borges. This library has many books about language, literature from Argentina, Spain, and Latin America, and even some very old books from long ago. It also holds letters from important people and collections of stories about the Gaucho culture.

The academy also has a research department that studies how people speak in Argentina. It publishes a magazine about language and literature and has created many books and dictionaries to help people learn about the Spanish language in Argentina.