Cristóbal de Villalón an his Gramática castellana. Between Tradition and Modernity

This article offers a discourse-analytic study of Gramática castellana (1558) by Cristóbal de Villalón, a foundational text in early Spanish grammaticography. To evaluate its role within this tradition, the analysis employs an “unconventional” framework grounded in the pragmatic linguistics of Fuentes Rodríguez (2013a; 2017 [2000]), alongside key insights from argumentation theory (Ducrot 1985; Anscombre/Ducrot 1983; Lo Cascio 1991, 2009; Perelman/Olbrechts-Tyteca 1958; Van Eemeren/Grootendorst 2004). Concepts such as face/imagen and identity (Fuentes Rodríguez 2013b, 2015) are used to explore the discursive strategies through which Villalón constructs a locutor with a distinct linguistic consciousness. The study examines the macrostructure of the text — particularly the cataphoric function of the title, 10 the Carta para el licenciado Sanctander, and the Prohemio al lector — and analyses Villalón’s metalanguage, which reflects a tension between innovation and continuity with Nebrija and Latin grammar. Strategies including pronoun alternation, explicit subject use, and evaluative modality reinforce the locutor’s authority. Ultimately, Gramática castellana demonstrates theoretical rigour and pragmatic sensitivity to the communicative and pedagogical needs of a multilingual readership