A research paper on linguistics would focus on the specific characteristics of the Spanish language. A linguistic analysis paper could explore these characteristics in the context of other Indo-European or world languages. Some characteristic features of the Spanish language include diminutives and the lack of subjects in a sentence. This field could also explain how certain grammatical or morphological features, such as a words and parts of speech, have changed over time.
A history research paper could explore how Spanish evolved into a world language or how it was used during the colonization of the Americas. In addition, a paper could describe how it evolved from its Latin roots. Another research paper topic is to analyze the development and role of Spanish in the United States and Canada by looking at Spanglish or English-only legislation.
Research papers in the field of literature may treat specific Spanish language authors or literary movements or groups. Some key authors available for analysis include Spanish writers like Miguel de Cervantes (author of the 17th century novel "Don Quixote") and the poet Federico Garcia Lorca. Some Latin American writers include the Peruvian poet Cesar Vallejo and the Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Some important literary periods include the Spanish Golden Age (the 16th and the 17th centuries) and the Latin American literary boom (1960s and 1970s).
Papers in this field of research could analyze the ways Spanish is taught and learned in countries where Spanish is not the dominant language. Papers could compare different pedagogical methods and theories for learning Spanish as well treat the rise of Spanish instruction in the United States, Canada and Europe since the latter half of the 20th century. Other research papers could look at teaching Spanish to children and autodidactic methods of learning, such as books on tape and computer programs.