The RAE returns the tilde to only

by time news

Thursday, March 2, 2023, 10:45 p.m.

Thirteen years later and after intense debates between lexicographers and writers, the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) decided at its weekly meeting this Thursday to return the accent to only this one, that one and that one. These have been years of hard intellectual debate and acrimonious positions but, in the end, the two sides reached an agreement that satisfies both parties. As a general rule, the solo without an accent is maintained, but the door is opened to put the orthographic sign, or not to do so, if the scribe perceives that there is ambiguity in the text. For example: ‘Act only this Saturday’ can refer to acting alone or just one day. If there is no confusion, the general rule indicates that none of these four words that lost their accent in 2010 should be accentuated.

The recovery of the tilde had become a goal of many writers. One of the most active was Arturo Pérez Reverte, occupant of the ‘T’ chair in the learned house, who did not hesitate to contradict the academy on social networks when it defended that it should never be accentuated. «I am from the RAE and a professional writer, and I do recommend using the tilde in ‘only’ when necessary. Which sometimes it is, for greater efficiency and clarity. Because the theory is one thing, and another to hit the key every day », he tweeted two years ago before the RAE’s response that the accent was never placed.

This new wording will be published in the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts. Until this Thursday, the RAE pointed out that the word only, both when it is an adverb and is equivalent to only and when it is an adjective; and the demonstratives this, that and that, with their feminine and plural, should not be accented. The general rules of the academy stated that they did not have an accent because they are flat two-syllable words ending in a vowel or in ‘s’ and, in the case of the former, because they are acute and end in a consonant other than ‘n’ or ‘s’. In principle, this debate is closed.

You may also like

Leave a Comment