Bibliographical notes on “La oración simple en la prosa castellana del siglo XV"

Abstract

The interpretation and analysis of La oración simple en la prosa castellana del siglo XV, Professor Antonio Meilán García’s doctoral thesis, allows us to reconsider, thirty years after its publication, its methodological advantages, its contributions to Historical Syntax studies, as well as to unearth possible limitations in its analyses, observed at a greater distance. Amid an overview of historical studies such as the current one, defined by the proliferation of cognitivist and discursive approaches to Diachronic Syntax, this paper aims to defend the validity of the structural-functional method of the Oviedo school in the study of the historical grammar by presenting one of its main achievements, Professor Meilán’s work. Throughout these pages, some examples used by Professor Meilán in his historical study of 15th century syntax will be shown. To sustain our reflection, specific explanations included in the thesis will be mentioned and accompanied by the theoretical reflections that support them, with a solid structuralist imprint, since this work could not be understood without the approaches on diachrony from André Martinet and Eugenio Coseriu. Throughout these pages, some examples used by Professor Meilán in his historical study of 15th century syntax will be shown. To sustain our reflection, specific explanations included in the thesis will be mentioned and accompanied by the theoretical reflections that support them, with a solid structuralist imprint, since this work could not be understood without the approaches on diachrony from André Martinet and Eugenio Coseriu.