The Association of Academies of the Spanish Language (; 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 and represents the union of all the separate academies in the Spanish-speaking world. The association publishes reference works on the Spanish language and commemorative editions of Hispanic literature, among other publications.
History Through the initiative of then-president of Mexico Miguel Alemán Valdés, the first congress of academies convened with the purpose of maintaining the integrity of and fostering the further growth of Spanish. The meeting was held from 23 April to 6 May 1951 and resulted in the creation of the association and its permanent commission. The Royal Spanish Academy (Spanish: or ) was not present at the initial meeting but participated in the permanent commission. Ever since the second congress convened in 1956, the has been a regular participant.
In 2000 the association organised the School of Hispanic Lexicography and the Carolina Foundation to promote Spanish lexicography, and together with the , the association earned the Prince of Asturias Award for peace.
An academy for Equatorial Guinea was created in 2013 and joined the association in 2016.
Congresses List of Association of Academies of the Spanish Language congressesNumberDateCityTerritoryNotesI23 April – 6 May 1951Mexico CityMexicoThe RAE was not presentII22 April – 2 May 1956MadridSpainIII27 July – 6 August 1960BogotáColombiaIV30 November – 10 December 1964Buenos AiresArgentinaThe Cuban delegation did not participateV24 July – 19 August 1968QuitoEcuadorDelegations from Cuba and Venezuela were not presentVI20–29 November 1972CaracasVenezuelaVII13–23 November 1976SantiagoChileDelegations from Cuba and Mexico were not presentVIII20–27 April 1980LimaPeruThe Cuban delegation did not participateIX8–15 October 1989San JoséCosta RicaDelegations from Cuba, Honduras, and Paraguay were not presentX24–29 April 1994MadridSpainXI15–19 November 1998PueblaMexicoXII12–15 November 2002San JuanPuerto RicoXIII21–24 March 2007MedellínColombiaXIV21–25 November 2011Panama CityPanamaXV23–25 November 2015Mexico CityMexicoXVI4–8 November 2019SevilleSpainXVII11–13 November 2024QuitoEcuador
Works The collaboration between and the other academies was expressed in the coauthorship, since the 22nd edition published in 2001, of the Dictionary of the Spanish Language (Spanish: ), and the 1999 edition of the Orthography (Spanish: ) was considered a true pan-Hispanic work. Joint projects include the editing of the Grammar (Spanish: ) and the compilation of the Dictionary of Americanisms (Spanish: ).
Organization The association convenes every four years, led by a Permanent Commission composed of a President (position held by the Director of the Spanish Royal Academy), a Secretary General (one of the directors of the other academies), a Treasurer (chosen by the Spanish Royal Academy), and at least two board members drawn from the associated academies, whose nomination rotate annually. During the Third Congress of Academies, held in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1960, an agreement was reached whereby the governments of countries with a member in the association would be obliged to provide financial support to their respective academies and the greater association.
Academies Country Name in Spanish Name in English Founded Spain Royal Spanish Academy 1713 Colombia Colombian Academy of the Language 1871 Ecuador Ecuadorian Academy of the Language 1874 Mexico Mexican Academy of the Language 1875 Salvadoran Academy of the Language 1876 Venezuela Venezuelan Academy of the Language 1883 Chile Chilean Academy of the Language 1885 Peru Peruvian Academy of the Language 1887 Guatemala Guatemalan Academy of the Language 1887 Costa Rica Costa Rican Academy of the Language 1923 Philippines Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language 1924 Panama Panamanian Academy of the Language 1926 Cuba Cuban Academy of the Language 1926 Paraguay Paraguayan Academy of the Spanish Language 1927 Bolivia Bolivian Academy of the Language 1927 Dominican Republic Dominican Academy of the Language 1927 Nicaragua Nicaraguan Academy of the Language 1928 Argentina Argentine Academy of Letters 1931 Uruguay National Academy of Letters 1943 Honduras Honduran Academy of the Language 1949 Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language 1955 United States North American Academy of the Spanish Language 1973 Equatorial Guinea Equatoguinean Academy of the Spanish Language 2013 Although Israelis mainly speak Hebrew, Arabic, English, and Russian, an ASALE conference on Judaeo-Spanish held in 2015 led to plans for the creation of an Israeli branch. A group of academics was founded by ASALE in 2018 and submitted to the government of Israel for recognition. The National Academia of Judaeo-Spanish in Israel will then have the ability to petition to join as a full member, likely in 2019. There are no plans for Andorra, Belize, Gibraltar, or Western Sahara to have their own academies, despite each having a majority Spanish-speaking population either as a first or second language.
See also Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino – a defunct Israeli body that regulated Ladino Cervantes Institute – a Spanish cultural institution Panhispanism – promotion of unity among Spanish speakers List of language regulators International Conference of the Spanish Language
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