Third International Congress of the Spanish Language
Encyclopedia
The Third International Congress of the Spanish Language (Tercer Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española) was a cultural event that took place in Rosario
, Argentina
, on 17, 18 and 19 November 2004.
The main topics of the Congress were three: ideological and sociologial aspects of linguistic identity; identity and language in literary creation; and the internationalization of Spanish.
It was the first time this Congress was celebrated in South America
; the previous ones were held in Zacatecas
(Mexico
) and Valladolid
(Spain
). Given its importance, the governor of Santa Fe
, Jorge Obeid
, decreed a public holiday for the opening day.
The main base of the activities of the Congress was El Círculo Theater
, especially restored for the occasion. It started with a welcome session presented by heads of State and writers. The Congress itself comprised a series of lectures and parallel cultural activities. It included a homage to the Argentine writer Ernesto Sábato
. A dictionary of linguistic doubts (Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas) was introduced, and the Cervantes Institute presented a new linguistic competence certificate for Spanish as a foreign language.
Commemorating the fourth centennial of the first publishing of Don Quixote, a brand-new special edition was released by the Real Academia Española
and Editorial Santillana, with the support of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language. Its 12,000 copies were reported sold out in less than a month.
, the Congress was attended by the King Juan Carlos I
and the Queen Sofía
; Argentine President
Néstor Kirchner
represented the national government. The presidents of Colombia
and Mexico
, as well as other important representatives of Spanish-speaking countries, were also present.
As guest lecturers there were the writers Carlos Fuentes
, Nobel Prize
winner José Saramago
, Ernesto Cardenal
, and Ernesto Sábato
. The Rosario-born novelist, comics artist and humorist Roberto Fontanarrosa
broke the ice in a debate about the importance of insults in interpersonal communication.
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The Congress met opposition on the part of activist
groups representing some linguistic and ethnic minorities, and became a focus for the confluence of many movements related to the left
, from anti-globalization
sympathizers to revisionists of the historic role of Spain and the Church
in the colonization of the Americas
(and the ensuing decline of native languages and cultures). The beginning of the Congress was protested by a large demonstration
.
In line with these protests, there was another gathering, the Congreso de laS LenguaS
, to discuss linguistic and cultural diversity in the region. It was presided by Nobel Peace Prize
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
.
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, on 17, 18 and 19 November 2004.
The main topics of the Congress were three: ideological and sociologial aspects of linguistic identity; identity and language in literary creation; and the internationalization of Spanish.
It was the first time this Congress was celebrated in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
; the previous ones were held in Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
(Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) and Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). Given its importance, the governor of Santa Fe
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, Jorge Obeid
Jorge Obeid
Jorge Alberto Obeid is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician, currently an Argentine Chamber of Deputies and former governor of Santa Fe Province until 2007....
, decreed a public holiday for the opening day.
The main base of the activities of the Congress was El Círculo Theater
El Círculo Theater
El Círculo Theater is a theater in Rosario, Argentina.- Overview :It is located near the historical center of the city, at the intersection of Laprida and Mendoza Streets. Planned as a lyric theater, it was developed as Teatro La Ópera by Emilio O. Schiffner, who purchased the society of the same...
, especially restored for the occasion. It started with a welcome session presented by heads of State and writers. The Congress itself comprised a series of lectures and parallel cultural activities. It included a homage to the Argentine writer Ernesto Sábato
Ernesto Sabato
Ernesto Sabato , was an Argentine writer, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary world throughout Latin America"...
. A dictionary of linguistic doubts (Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas) was introduced, and the Cervantes Institute presented a new linguistic competence certificate for Spanish as a foreign language.
Commemorating the fourth centennial of the first publishing of Don Quixote, a brand-new special edition was released by the Real Academia Española
Real Academia Española
The Royal Spanish Academy is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, but is affiliated with national language academies in twenty-one other hispanophone nations through the Association of Spanish Language Academies...
and Editorial Santillana, with the support of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language. Its 12,000 copies were reported sold out in less than a month.
Guests and lecturers
Representing SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the Congress was attended by the King Juan Carlos I
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
and the Queen Sofía
Queen Sofía of Spain
Queen Sofía of Spain is the wife of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.-Early life and family:Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark was born in Psychiko, Athens, Greece on 2 November 1938, the eldest child of the King Paul of Greece and his wife, Queen Frederika , a former princess of Hanover...
; Argentine President
President of Argentina
The President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
represented the national government. The presidents of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, as well as other important representatives of Spanish-speaking countries, were also present.
As guest lecturers there were the writers Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
, Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner José Saramago
José Saramago
José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE was a Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, poet, playwright and journalist. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the human factor. Harold Bloom has described Saramago as "a...
, Ernesto Cardenal
Ernesto Cardenal
Reverend Father Ernesto Cardenal Martínez is a Nicaraguan Catholic priest and was one of the most famous liberation theologians of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas, a party he has since left. From 1979 to 1987 he served as Nicaragua's first culture minister. He is also famous as a poet...
, and Ernesto Sábato
Ernesto Sabato
Ernesto Sabato , was an Argentine writer, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary world throughout Latin America"...
. The Rosario-born novelist, comics artist and humorist Roberto Fontanarrosa
Roberto Fontanarrosa
Roberto Alfredo Fontanarrosa was an Argentine cartoonist and writer. He created the characters Inodoro Pereyra, a fictional gaucho, and Boogie, el aceitoso, a fictional serial killer.-Early life:...
broke the ice in a debate about the importance of insults in interpersonal communication.
Criticism
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
groups representing some linguistic and ethnic minorities, and became a focus for the confluence of many movements related to the left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
, from anti-globalization
Anti-globalization
Criticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
sympathizers to revisionists of the historic role of Spain and the Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in the colonization of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
(and the ensuing decline of native languages and cultures). The beginning of the Congress was protested by a large demonstration
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
.
In line with these protests, there was another gathering, the Congreso de laS LenguaS
Congreso de laS LenguaS
The Congreso de laS LenguaS was a cultural event that took place in Rosario, Argentina, from 15 November to 20 November 2004...
, to discuss linguistic and cultural diversity in the region. It was presided by Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel is an Argentine sculptor, architect and pacifist. He was the recipient of the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize.-Biography:Pérez Esquivel was born in Buenos Aires to a Spanish fisherman who emigrated to Argentina...
.
Sources
In Spanish unless otherwise noted:- Educ.ar - Educational portal of the Argentine State.
- Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española in the website of Liceus.com.
- Diario Hoy, La PlataLa PlataLa Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
, Argentina, 18 December 2004. - Rosario en el éxito soñado, RosarioNet, 21 November 2004.
- Por el Congreso de la Lengua, habrá asueto administrativo. SinMordaza.com, 12 November 2004.
- Congreso de laS LenguaS.