Fernando Lázaro Carreter (Zaragoza, April 13, 1923 — March 4, 2004, in Madrid) was a Spanish linguist, journalist and literary critic. Carreter worked to improve the way the Spanish language is spoken and written, and penned the hugely popular 1997 book El Dardo en la Palabra (The Dart in the Word), a collection of articles he wrote on linguistic gaffes in the media. Lázaro Carreter was a member, occupying the Seat "R", of the prestigious Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española), the language's official referee, from 1972 until his death, and was its president for seven years, 1991-1998. He taught at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He died on 4 March 2004 in Madrid at aged 80 from a multiple organ failure. References External links 1923 births 2004 deaths Spanish essayists Spanish male writers Linguists from Spain Spanish literary critics Members of the Royal Spanish Academy Academic staff of the Autonomous University of Madrid Male essayists Deaths from multiple organ failure 20th-century essayists 20th-century linguists 20th-century Spanish journalists