The Academia Chilena de la Lengua (Spanish for ''Chilean Language Academy'') is an association of academics and experts on the use of the

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in the ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

. It is a member of the

Association of Academies of the Spanish Language The Association of Academies of the Spanish Language ( es, Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, ASALE) is an entity whose end is to work for the unity, integrity, and growth of the Spanish language. It was created in Mexico in 1951 a ...

and is a part of the Instituto de Chile.

History and purpose

The academy was founded in

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, who ...

on June 5, 1885. It started out with 18 members designated by the

Royal Spanish Academy The Royal Spanish Academy ( es, Real Academia Española, generally abbreviated as RAE) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with ...

. Its stated aims, according to its bylaws, are: to ensure the purity and splendor of the Spanish language, to contribute to the work of the Royal Spanish Academy and the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, and to collaborate with other institutions on matters related to the language and its literature, particularly Chilean literature. Today, its members are chosen by

co-option Co-option (also co-optation, sometimes spelt coöption or coöptation) has two common meanings. It may refer to the process of adding members to an elite group at the discretion of members of the body, usually to manage opposition and so maintai ...

. The academy currently has 36 members, as well as a variable number of correspondent members in various Chilean regions and abroad. It has several honorary members, including the Chilean poet

Gabriela Mistral Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (; 7 April 1889 – 10 January 1957), known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral (), was a Chilean poet-diplomat, educator and humanist. In 1945 she became the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize in Li ...

, the Spanish

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined ...

Víctor García de la Concha, and

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

Prizes

The academy gives out five prizes every year: * The Academy Prize, to the author of the best literary work published in Chile * The Alejandro Silva de la Fuente Prize, to a journalist who has demonstrated distinguished use of the language in their work * The Alonso de Ercilla Prize, to a person or institution that has contributed to the understanding and promotion of Chilean literature * The Doctor Rodolfo Oroz Prize, to authors of scientific research related to the language * The Oreste Plath Prize, to a person or institution that has distinguished itself for the promotion and spread of Chilean folk art

Publications

The academy produces the following periodicals: * ''Boletín de la Academia de la Lengua'', since 1915 (72 nearly annual issues) * ''Cuadernos del Centenario'', since 1985, a series that pairs tributes to deceased members and specialized work * ''Notas Idiomáticas'', since 1996, a quarterly bulletin in cooperation with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

in Chile It has also published dictionaries, including the 1976 ''Diccionario del Habla Chilena.''

Directors

Since its founding, the academy has been led by the following directors: #

José Victorino Lastarria José Victorino Lastarria (; 23 March 1817 – 14 June 1888) was a Chilean writer, legislative deputy, senator, diplomat, and finance minister. Early life José Victorino Lastarria was the son of Francisco Lastarria y Cortés and Carmen Santander ...

(1885-1888) # Monseñor Crescente Errázuriz Valdivieso (1914-1931) # Miguel Luis Amunátegui Reyes (1931-1949) # Alejandro Silva de la Fuente (1949-1952) # Ricardo Dávila Silva (1952-1959) # Rodolfo Oroz Scheibe (1959-1980) # Alejandro Garretón Silva (1980) #

Roque Esteban Scarpa Roque Esteban Scarpa Straboni (March 26, 1914 in Punta Arenas - January 11, 1995 in Santiago) was a Chilean writer, literary critic and scholar. He won the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 1980. He was of Croatian and Italian descent. Sc ...

(1980-1995) # Alfredo Matus Olivier (1995-2018) # Adriana Valdés Budge (2018–present)

References

Cultural organisations based in Chile Education in Chile Spanish language academies 1885 establishments in Chile Organizations established in 1885 {{Spanish-lang-stub

History and purpose

Prizes

Publications

Directors

See also

References