Who was María Moliner, and what did she contribute to the field of Spanish linguistics?
María Moliner was a Spanish lexicographer, bibliographer, and librarian born on March 30, 1900, in Zaragoza, Spain. She dedicated her life to language, literature, and knowledge and made remarkable contributions to Spanish linguistics through her monumental work, the “Diccionario de Uso del Español,” commonly known as “El Diccionario de María Moliner.”
María Moliner was the daughter of a doctor and a teacher. She graduated from the University of Zaragoza in 1921 with a degree in Philosophy and Letters and continued her studies in Bibliography and Library Science in Madrid. She was passionate about language, reading, and learning, and her professional career was marked by her dedication to these fields.
María Moliner’s most significant contribution to Spanish linguistics is her dictionary, which she started writing in the early 1950s. The dictionary aimed to capture the Spanish language as it was used by native speakers, with a particular emphasis on the colloquial and everyday expressions. Moliner was aware of the shortcomings of existing dictionaries, which tended to be prescriptive and often failed to reflect the reality of the language.
The “Diccionario de Uso del Español” was published in 1966, after years of hard work and dedication. The dictionary comprises three volumes, with a total of 2,979 pages, and includes more than 40,000 entries, with over 100,000 definitions. It covers both standard Spanish and regional variations and includes examples of usage, synonyms, antonyms, and etymologies.
The dictionary was an immediate success and quickly became a reference work for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the Spanish language. Its impact was not limited to Spain, and it has been widely used in Latin America and beyond. The dictionary’s focus on everyday language and its inclusion of regional variations was particularly appreciated, as it provided a more accurate and nuanced portrayal of the Spanish language.
María Moliner’s dictionary was a remarkable achievement, not only because of its size and scope but also because of the challenges she faced in its creation. Moliner worked on the dictionary while raising a family and working as a librarian, and she did not have the support of a large team of assistants or the resources of a major publishing house. She had to rely on her own knowledge, research, and dedication, and the result is a testament to her tenacity and vision.
María Moliner’s contributions to Spanish linguistics go beyond her dictionary. She was a prolific writer and published numerous articles, essays, and books on language, literature, and librarianship. She was also an active member of the Spanish Library Association and worked to promote libraries and reading throughout her life.
María Moliner passed away in 1981, but her legacy lives on. Her dictionary is still widely used and appreciated, and she is recognized as one of the most important figures in Spanish linguistics of the 20th century. In 2013, the Royal Spanish Academy, the institution responsible for standardizing the Spanish language, recognized Moliner’s contributions by awarding her the Gold Medal for Fine Arts posthumously.
In conclusion, María Moliner was a remarkable linguist who dedicated her life to the study and promotion of the Spanish language. Her dictionary, the “Diccionario de Uso del Español,” is a monumental work that has had a significant impact on Spanish linguistics and remains a valuable resource for anyone interested in the language. Moliner’s vision, dedication, and tenacity serve as an inspiration to anyone who seeks to make a lasting contribution to their field.
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