Cristina Sánchez López, professor in the Department of Spanish Language and Theory of Literature at the Faculty of Philology of the Complutense University, has held the 'p' seat of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) since October 18th. Her research spans from Spanish syntax to the comparative grammar of Romance languages, having published on topics such as negation, comparative constructions, and the degree of adjectives and adverbs.
In statements to Tribuna Complutense, Sánchez López highlighted the "impressive" collaborative work at the RAE, which extends to the Spanish Language Academies worldwide through the Association of Spanish Language Academies (ASALE). This collaborative approach was evident in the recent revised and updated edition of the New Grammar of the Spanish Language, published in 2025, for which she was responsible alongside Ignacio Bosque.
The new academic believes that language is constantly changing and it is crucial to be "attentive to how it changes, how speakers perceive it," describing the study of language as an "infinite quest" and a "wonderful intellectual adventure." Sánchez López approaches her new role with "enthusiasm" and is ready to "contribute my bit" to the institution.
Her investiture speech, "The Cartographies of Language. A Journey of Chance through the Grammar of Spanish," was responded to by Ignacio Bosque, who praised her "capacity, preparation, experience, and youth." Bosque, who supervised her doctoral thesis and was her former professor, proposed her for the vacant seat, along with Miguel Sáenz and Paloma Díaz-Más.
Regarding the inexhaustible nature of language, Sánchez López explained that grammarians seek to "explain why we speak as we speak and why we say what we mean," using negation as an example. She emphasized the importance of comparative grammar for understanding similarities and differences between languages and discovering universal principles of language.
Concerning the use of language by young people on social media, she stated that "we are homo loquens, so language goes with us" and that young people are "very creative." Her work focuses on collaborating with high school teachers to update their knowledge and foster students' interest in language, its system, and its correct use.
The RAE, according to Sánchez López, plays a very active role in the linguistic community, offering works, materials, and resources, and organizing activities, such as those related to the Spanish language and artificial intelligence project, which involved high school students.
