The Royal Spanish Academy was founded in 1713 by the Marquis of Villena Juan Manuel Fernández Pacheco. Its predecessor was the French Academy, founded in 1637 by Cardinal Richelieu, but the initiative for this rich idea was originated by Plato in Athens, with his Academy, where he taught philosophy and much more.
The need for Spanish Language Academy emerged in 1492 with the discovery of the New World. Spanish was then used in the new conquered lands by the native people who had spoken their indigenous language.
Based on the work of the Royal Spanish Academy, the rest of the Spanish language academies were organized in this order:
– Colombia: 1871
– Ecuador: 1874
– Mexico: 1875
– El Salvador: 1876
– Venezuela: 1883
– Chile: 1885
– Peru: 1887
– Guatemala: 1887
– Costa Rica: 1923
– Philippines: 1924
– Panama: 1926
– Cuba: 1926
– Paraguay: 1927
– Bolivia: 1927
– Dominican Republic: 1927
– Nicaragua: 1928
– Honduras: 1948
– Puerto Rico: 1955
– North America: 1973
Partner Academies:
– Argentina: 1931
– Uruguay: 1943
Recently, the Academia Argentina de Letras ceased to be a “partner” to become “full-fledged”.
The Bolivian Academy
This non-profit cultural institution was founded on August 25, 1927, by Victor Muñoz Reyes, Minister for Education and Livestock, Senator Francisco Iraizós and publicist Rosendo Villalobos, following the suggestion of President Hernando Siles Reyes .
Under the Multilateral Agreement of Bogota July 28, 1960, the operation of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language and its Standing Committee was recognized. Also, the governments of each country are committed to supporting their respective academies in order to promote the development of Spanish language and defend it from foreign words, and provide a venue to perform their functions. Nevertheless, during the early years, the work of the Academy was quite precarious, being carried out in the public and private offices of some of its directors or in the homes of some of the academics. But since 1997, it works out of the Cultural Foundation of the Central Bank of Bolivia.
“Bolivianisms”
Some examples of word usages unique to Bolivia are:
arrebatar(se) tr. To scare a person. | 2. intr. prnl. A person being scared.
artillero m. A man who usually consumes low-quality alcohol.
buzo, -a m. and f. A person who denounces by indictment or complaint.
cato m. Land measurement equivalent to 1,600 m2.
corcho noun/adj. Person accustomed to flattering someone to turn a profit. | 2. People used to denouncing for convenience or malice. | 3. Person applied to studies.
duraznera f. Drunkenness.
empoce m. Deposit of money in an account or bank.
fregado, -a adj. Used about a person who has suffered a setback.
guardatojo m. In mines, a helmet.
hora boliviana f. Later time after the agreed upon one for an appointment or the start of something.
infame m. Drink made with rum mixed with water or soda.
jau form. Used to address a person whose name is unknown or not remembered.
kauka f. Lie. | 2. Rounded bun made with butter.
larguero, -a. noun/adj. Pesky, annoying person, especially for talking too much.
mamada f. Lie or deception.
nota reversal loc. noun. Diplomatic agreement between two countries.
ñusta f. Young woman chosen as queen of an annual beauty pageant, generally folkloric in nature.
opear tr. To treat a person as dumb or unintelligent.
palo blanco loc. noun. Figurehead.
quitonear(se) tr. To argue with someone over a desirable thing or object. | 2. intr. prnl. Two or more people argue over a desirable thing or object.
ralear tr. To sell a commodity at retail.
sonso m. Circular pastry product made with cassava flour and cheese.
tabear tr. To harm someone through influence and trickery.
ustear tr. To use the pronoun usted when addressing a person.
wawa f. Young child.
yapado adv. Furthermore, in addition. | 2. With more weight than needed.
zancado, -a m. and f. Person of slight build. | 2. noun/adj. Person who shows signs of naivety, poor understanding and lack of alertness.
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