The academic and former director of the RAE José Manuel Blecua dies

The academic and former director of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) died this Friday, May 29 in José Manuel Blecua at 86 years oldas reported by the RAE.

Born in Zaragoza on June 21, 1939, he was elected full academician on June 19, 2003 to occupy the chair and took office on June 25, 2006 with the speech entitled Principles of the ‘Dictionary of Authorities’. Elected director of the RAE in December 2010, he held the position between 2011 and 2014. In addition, he was secretary of the corporation from 2007 to 2009.

Doctor in Romance Philology and professor of Spanish Language, José Manuel Blecua was the responsible for the volume Phonetics and phonology of the two editions of the New grammar of the Spanish language of 2011 and 2025.

During his tenure as director of the RAE, José Manuel Blecua was also president of the Association of Spanish Language Academies (ASALE) and of Board of Trustees of the Urgent Spanish Foundation (Found).

Was professor at the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​of which he was vice-rectordirector of the Publications Service and founder and director of the first Philology and Computer Science Seminar. In 2011 he received recognition from the UAB Friends Association, at an event in which the book Al Otro Lado del Mirror, published in tribute to his years of teaching, was presented.

José Manuel Blecua was also professor at Ohio State University (1971), in it Center for Linguistic and Literary Studies of El Colegio de México (1986-1987), in the summer courses for foreigners at the University of Zaragoza in Jaca and teaching collaborator, since 1976, at the Menéndez Pelayo International University. Likewise, he was a member of the Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres of Barcelona and corresponding of the Royal Spanish American Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters of Cádiz.

He was executive secretary of the Scientific Commission of the Spanish Language Congress (Seville, 1992) and responsible for the Language and Technology Section, as well as secretary of the Academic Committee of the First International Congress of the Spanish Language (Zacatecas, 1997), whose motto was ‘The Spanish language and the media’. Blecua was also academic director of the Cervantes Institute (1994-1995).

Specialist in lexicography and linguistic historiographyhe collaborated with Juan Alcina in the work Spanish Grammar (1975) and directed the VOX Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms, the General Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms (1999) and the School Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms (1999).

Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Historiography of Spanish Linguistics collection and director of the Enseñanza Crítica collection (Critical ed.), he was part of the Editorial Board of the Nueva Revista de Filología Hispánica, the Revista de Lexicografía, the Bulletin of the Menéndez Pelayo Library and the Board of Directors of Cuadernos de Filología.

Co-author of the first style book for the Barcelona newspaper ‘The Vanguard’ (1986), participated in linguistic outreach programs, such as ‘Speaking clearly’ (TVE, 1987-1992).

José Manuel Blecua received, among other awards, the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso 2012 and the Herald Award for Human Values and Knowledge (2014).

He was distinguished with the honorary doctorate from the Carlos III University of Madrid and president of the jury of the first prize Mario Vargas Llosa Novel Biennial. In addition, he was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi and the Medal of the University of Zaragoza. In 2015 he received the EFE Culture Award, which was awarded for the first time by the agency, and the Council of Ministers on October 9 agreed to award him the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise, received on January 21, 2016.

His work was also recognized by several academies of the Association of Spanish Language Academies (ASALE). In 2014, the Venezuelan and Guatemalan Language Academies distinguished him with the title of honorary member of both corporations; He was received as an illustrious member of the Chilean Academy, and named corresponding member of the Paraguayan Academy.