Origins
Standard Spanish has come to be based on, and originated in, the Medieval Castilian dialect, more than any other variety. This prominence of Castilian is based not only on the political dominance of Castile and the military prestige of its leading role in the Reconquista, but also on the propagation of that dialect outside its original area through folk balads and recitations about Castilian heroes of the Reconquista, such as the Poem of the Cid. Early steps toward standardization of Castilian were taken in the 13th century by King Alfonso X of Castile ("Alfonso el Sabio"), who assembled scribes and translators at his court in Toledo and exerted some oversight to insure that they wrote in castellano derecho (correct Castilian). The first grammar of Castilian (or of any modern European language) was published in 1492 by Antonio de Nebrija. Further commentary on the language was offered by Juan de Valdés with his Diálogo de la lengua in 1535.
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