The adverb “only” is not alone, since “this”, “that” and “that” may be accentuated again when, “in the opinion of the writer”, there may be ambiguity in the interpretation, although it continues to recommend the forms without tilde .
The Royal Spanish Academy of Language (RAE) approved in its plenary session this week to admit that the adverb
“only” as well as the demonstrative pronouns “this”, “that” or “that” are written again with tilde.
Of course, they explained that this would apply when “in the opinion of the writer”, there may be ambiguity in the interpretation, since the first can be confused with the homonymous adjective and the others with the corresponding demonstrative articles, he stated. DW.
The Academy, however, affirms that its doctrine has not changed, but that what has been approved is only “a new wording that will be published in the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts, which does not modify the norm, but rather makes it clearer” .
A doctrine and a rule that has been maintained since the last update of its Spelling, published in 2010.
Then he removed the graphic accent from these words because he considered that they did not meet the requirement for the use of the diacritical accent that “stressed or stressed words should be opposed to formally identical unstressed or unstressed words, since both only [aquí sin tilde, claro] like the demonstratives, they are always tonic words in any of their functions”.
#RAEconsults What was approved in the plenary session of March 2 does not modify the doctrine of the «Spelling» of 2010. It even expresses it more clearly: 1. The obligation not to mark the adverb «only» and the prons is maintained. demonstrative when there is no risk of ambiguity. +
— RAE (@RAEinforma) March 3, 2023
RAE says that “only” can be marked only if there is a risk of ambiguity
Although the RAE has not yet included “only” in its online dictionary, it has already answered the question “can you write “only” with an accent?”, in its quick questions section.
“When it only works as an adjective, it is not branded; when it works as an adverb, it can be checked only if there is a risk of ambiguity, but it is recommended not to check it even in those cases and to resolve the ambiguity in another way”, he indicated.
However, the lukewarm acceptance of the RAE was celebrated on social networks by common users and writers.
The Royal Academy, which has ensured the correct spelling of the Spanish language since the 18th century, opened an intense debate that has lasted thirteen years with the suppression of the tilde in “only”, “this”, “that” and “that”. Writers such as Pérez-Reverte or the Nobel Prize for Literature Mario Vargas Llosa participated in this, almost all in favor of resuming the accent in those words.
Sometimes old battles are won.https://t.co/hPOVAnZeMz
– Arturo Pérez-Reverte (@perezreverte) March 2, 2023
The new wording of the text intends to settle the matter with a decision in which everyone wins.