Microhistory of a glottopolitical event: decree 3,876 (1927) and the end of spelling reform in Chile

Abstract This study takes a microhistorical approach to analysing a glottopolitical event that is relevant both to the history of Spanish spelling and to the development of regimes of linguistic normativity in the Spanish-speaking world. This event is Decree 3,876 of 1927, through which the Chilean government repealed the reformed spelling system and made the RAE spelling system official. Through a detailed description and contextualisation of this glottopolitical event, the study aims to highlight the issues of agency and ideology involved, which have been overlooked in previous studies. It concludes that the participation of Minister Aquiles Vergara, a nationalist military officer involved in affinity groups linked to Hispanism, is key to understanding this event.