International Conference of the Spanish Language

The International Conference of the Spanish Language (Spanish: Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española, CILE), is a forum for reflection on issues related to the Spanish language, such as the problems and challenges faced by its speakers. It is held every three years in a city located in either Spain or Hispanic America. Its organizers are the Instituto Cervantes—which serves as the permanent general secretariat—the Royal Spanish Academy, and the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, as well as the country in charge of each edition.^[1][2]

International Conference of the Spanish Language Spanish: Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española
Official photo, in front of the Gran Teatro Falla Theater in Cádiz, at the inauguration of the Ninth Conference of the Spanish Language. Those present include the King and Queen of Spain, the President of the Junta, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Mayor of Cádiz.
Frequency	Triennial
Inaugurated	7–11 April 1997
Most recent	27–30 March 2023
Next event	2025
Organised by	Instituto Cervantes Royal Spanish Academy Association of Academies of the Spanish Language
Website	https://congresosdelalengua.es/

The aim of the conference is to raise awareness of the joint responsibility shared by governments, institutions, and individuals in the promotion and unity of the language, understood as the backbone of the Ibero-American community in all areas, in a dialogue with other languages that are part of its living common heritage. Participants include writers, academics, intellectuals, professionals, and experts related to the fields of linguistics, communications, and the Spanish language in general.^[1]

History

The International Conference of the Spanish Language was held for the first time in 1997 in Zacatecas, Mexico.^[3] Since then, it has been held in various Spanish-speaking countries.

Versions

Version	Date	City	Country	Slogan
I (1997)	7–11 April 1997	Zacatecas[3]	Mexico	La lengua y los medios de comunicación[a]
II [es] (2001)	16–19 October 2001	Valladolid[4]	Spain	El español en la sociedad de la información[b]
III (2004)	17–20 November 2004	Rosario[5]	Argentina	Identidad lingüística y globalización[c]
IV [es] (2007)	26–29 March 2007	Cartagena de Indias[6]	Colombia	Presente y futuro de la lengua española: unidad en la diversidad[d]
V [es] (2010)	2–6 March 2010; suspended due to the 2010 Chile earthquake[7]	Valparaíso[8]	Chile	América en lengua española[e]
VI (2013)	20–23 October 2013	Panama City[9][10]	Panama	El español en el libro: del Atlántico al Mar del Sur[f]
VII (2016)	11–19 March 2016	San Juan[11][12]	Puerto Rico	Lengua española y creatividad[g]
VIII (2019)	27–30 March 2019	Córdoba[13][14]	Argentina	América y el futuro del español. Cultura y educación, tecnología y emprendimiento.[h]
IX (2023)	27–30 March 2023	Cádiz[15][16]	Spain	Lengua española, mestizaje e interculturalidad. Historia y futuro.[i]
X (2025)	2025	Arequipa[17][18]	Peru

Controversies

A lecture during the Congreso de laS LenguaS (note the official banner with the two capital letter Ss marking the plurals of las lenguas^[j]).

Despite its brief history, the conference has not been without its share of bitter disputes. At the first conference in 1997, in Zacatecas, the presentation given by Gabriel García Márquez, titled Botella al mar para el dios de las palabras, advocated for la jubilación de la ortografía.^{[k][19][20][21]}

In 2004, in Rosario, at the same time as the third conference was being held, Argentinian Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel inaugurated the 1st Congreso de laS LenguaS to demand that the memory and identity of the languages spoken by the indigenous peoples of the Americas be recovered.^[22]

Moreover, the participation of linguist Nélida Donni de Mirande, a native of Rosario,^[23] was cancelled due to her being accused by the National University of Rosario of having collaborated with the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976–1983).^[24][25]

Then, in 2016, in San Juan, there was an "unnecessary discussion" surrounding the inclusion in the dictionary of the term puertorriqueñidad.^[l][20] In addition, Víctor García de la Concha, at the time the director of Instituto Cervantes, mentioned that it was the first time that the conference was being held fuera del ámbito de la comunidad iberoamericana de naciones.^[m] While the King of Spain Felipe VI expressed his joy at "returning to the United States."^[26]

See also

• Third International Congress of the Spanish Language
• Congreso de laS LenguaS
• Association of Academies of the Spanish Language
• Hispanism
• Panhispanism

Notes

1. English: Language and the media
2. English: Spanish in the information society
3. English: Linguistic identity and globalization
4. English: Present and future of the Spanish language: unity in diversity
5. English: America in the Spanish language
6. English: The Spanish language in books: from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Sea
7. English: Spanish language and creativity
8. English: The Americas and the future of the Spanish language. Culture and education, technology, and entrepreneurship.
9. English: The Spanish language, miscegenation, and interculturality. History and future.
10. English: The languages, as opposed to just la lengua española or "the Spanish language" in the conference's title.
11. English: The retirement of spelling
12. English: The character or condition of being Puerto Rican
13. English: Outside the scope of the Ibero-American community of nations