Amor y onomatogonía: Ideas de Miguel de Unamuno sobre los préstamos y la renovación léxica de las lenguas

Abstract

In this article I review the ideas of Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) on neologisms, focusing on the mechanisms of lexical borrowing from foreign languages. After setting out his general position and the names he considers appropriate or inappropriate, I deal with some specific aspects of neology: consideration of the so-called “luxury neologisms”; issues of use, frequency and implementation of terms; neologisms in the press and in the dictionary, and specialised language. In addition to reviewing Don Miguel's views on the lexical renewal of some European languages, we will see how he proposes that foreign words be adopted or assimilated into Spanish; how the learning of foreign languages can serve to enrich the Spanish language; the difficulties posed by the intersection between neology and translation; and, finally, how Unamuno deals with neological creation in his writings.