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Feb 10, 2024 · 10 Feb, 2024. 0 Comments. 11 Mins Read. The Spanish language is of Latin origin and is a member of the Romance language family, a subgroup of the Italic branch of the Indo-European Language family. Spanish is derived from Vulgar Latin, the spoken dialect of Latin that the Romans used as their mother tongue.
- Contents
- The History of Spanish
- The Spanish Language Today
- FAQs About Spanish
1. The Roots of Spanish
Time period:3400 – 200 BCE Linguists theorize that a common mother language called Proto-Indo-European was spoken until around 3,400 BCE.This language, as the name implies, was spoken over a vast geographical area from India to Europe. Since this ancient language was never written or recorded, we don’t know much about it, althoughlinguists have recreated some words and sounds based on theoretically informed guesses. But we do know that from its humble beginnings near the Black Sea, Indo-Europ...
2. Spanish Emerges From Vulgar Latin
Time period:200 BCE – 710 AD As the Romans spread out across Europe, they settled in the Iberian Peninsula, bringing their Latin language with them. During these hundreds of years of occupation, the locals had to find a way to communicate with the Roman newcomers. Thus, a language was born:Spanish originated on the Iberian Peninsula and developed from Vulgar Latin, which is the spoken form of Latin. If you’re interested in the differences between classic and vulgar Latin, NativeLang has an in...
3. Spanish Is Strongly Influenced by Arabic
Time period:710 – 1450 AD Just when Spanish was getting comfortable on the Iberian Peninsula, something groundbreaking happened. The Romans were out and Spain was overtaken by Muslim Moors from the south.In fact, they continued to rule the peninsula for over 800 years. During this time, not only did the Moors build incredible buildings in Spain like the Alhambra, a but vast array of Arabic words were incorporated into Spanish. In fact, more than 4,000 modern Spanish words are Arabic in origin...
Spanish Language Facts
Today, Spanish is the most widely spoken Romance language on Earth. In fact, it’s the native language to almost 490 million people in 20 countries. When you count those who use it as a second language, the total goes up to nearly 600 million speakers. Spanish is also used widely in countries where Spanish isn’t an official language. The United States is a prime example of a place where Spanish is used extensively despite not being one of the country’s official languages. Nearly 45 million Ame...
Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish
Castilian Spanish—castellano in Spanish—is spoken predominantly in Spain. Though Castilian is mutually intelligible with other Spanish varieties, there are some pronunciation differences, and a few vocabulary differences. In Spain, they have a pronunciation feature called the seseo, which basically means that the sound found in words like el centro(the city center) or Barcelona are more like a sound. In Spain you driveun coche (a car) while in South America, you ride in un carro(a...
The Royal Spanish Academy
Originally founded in 1713 to preserve and protect the Spanish language, the Real Academia Española(Royal Spanish Academy) still operates today, recording and guiding the language when new words are required. Although there are linguistic variations between the Spanish-speaking countries and territories, one of the Academy’s main purposes is tomaintain a certain standard and level of uniformitywithin the various varieties of the language. The Academy engages in academic activity and releases...
When Was Spanish First Spoken?
Spanish, which emerged from Indo-European’s Italic branch, was first spoken in the northern Iberian Peninsula. The earliest textual proof of Spanish is from documents written in the 9th century, found in and around Toledo in Spain, but it’s likely the language was spoken a couple hundred years before this. Most linguists agree that the language was standardized by the 13th century.
Where Did the Spanish Language Originally Come From?
Spanish emerged from a combination of Indo-European languages that came to the Iberian Peninsula via migrants from the Black Sea region, and the introduction of Vulgar Latin, the spoken language of the colonizing Romans in the territory that is modern day Spain.
What Did They Speak in Spain Before Spanish?
Before occupation by the Romans, people in Spain spoke a wide variety of languages, most of which emerged from Indo-European languages from the Black Sea region. The major language of indigenous Iberians was known as Iberian, which has little in common with modern Spanish. Some people also spoke non-related languages such as Basque.
Dec 8, 2022 · And this is the real beginning of the Spanish language as you know it today. So if you were wondering, “what language is Spanish derived from”? You have an answer: Latin. Vulgar Latin. Most Spanish vocabulary comes from Latin, its phonetics, and most of the grammar.
Latin is considered the base of the Spanish language, though a long succession of cultures contributed to enrich the language. However, over the centuries, Spanish or Castilian was a spoken language while Latin remained the official one. Little by little, people used Spanish to write literature genres named cantares de gesta and jarchas.
Spanish ( español) or Castilian ( castellano) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a global language with about 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Americas and Spain, and about 600 million when including second language ...
Feb 13, 2021 · It’s no surprise that languages like Quechúa and Nahuatl have influenced Spanish. A long period of Spanish occupation in the Americas and interaction with indigenous cultures gave room for these languages to leave their mark in the Spanish language. Quechúa was widely spoken throughout Colombia, Perú, Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.
Nov 30, 2023 · Other works of literature were also translated into Castilian. A surge in written language often indicates a societal high point, and Spain was no exception. According to Charles E. Chapman’s “A History of Spain,” there was a significant intellectual surge leading up to the end of the 15th century.
