What is leísmo and laísmo?

In Spanish dramatics there are numerous terms and writing rules, which show the complexity of the Spanish language. When inquiring about the linguistic phenomena of the language, we can mention: laísmo and leísmo.

The term laísmo is defined as a linguistic phenomenon that is used when using la or las of a personal pronoun as a feminine indirect object instead of using le or les.

What does this mean? That in a sentence where it should say:

✓  I informed him about the schedule change.
✓  The laísmo makes an incorrect substitution and reads as follows:
✓  I informed her about the schedule change.

According to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), the use of la and las as feminine indirect complements is antietymological.

When looking into the history of this linguistic phenomenon, its origin can be traced back to the Middle Ages, in an area called Castilla in Spain. In fact, nowadays, in that and other places, the laísmo is still used.

As mentioned before, the laísmo is used indirectly to represent a feminine complement. Thus, some examples of laísmo are:

✓  I gave my girlfriend a pearl necklace.
✓  I am sincere, I have told her the truth.
✓  I have written her a Gmail confessing all my love.

Thus, when talking about another linguistic phenomenon, we can mention leísmo; which can be defined as the replacement of the personal pronouns: lo, los, la and las by le and les as direct complement. Leísmo is used in many regions, however, sometimes it is not considered grammatically correct.

The rules of the language indicate that, in order to make a substitution of this type, the syntactic function that is developed on the basis of the pronoun must be considered. In other words, the number and gender of the reference word must be taken into account.

According to the RAE, the leísmo that is implemented in the plural or referring to something is not correct; on the other hand, if it is applied in the singular and to a masculine person, it is considered correct.

When researching on historical aspects of leísmo, it is identified that during the golden century in Spain it developed significantly.It was in 1796 when the RAE took action on the matter, establishing leísmo, laísmo and loismo as incorrect.

Types of leísmo

1. Contact leísmo: le is used to replace all pronouns, both of a dative and accusative nature.
2. Politeness leísmo: it is the most commonly used, where the dative pronoun is used to adjust with "Usted".

This linguistic phenomenon can develop in different types, however, many times it is not perceived that an error is being made.

For a better understanding, the following examples are named:

✓  In the expression "Vi a Rosa" the correct term to say it is La vi; the leísmo is: le vi.
✓  The same happens with the expression "Lo salude", which is the proper term; the serious leísmo: le salude.

To conclude, the Spanish word comprises a wide field of study, among them, rules and phenomena that are repeatedly used incorrectly.