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. **Source**: [Fernando Lázaro Carreter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_L%C3%A1zaro_Carreter) on Wikipedia.