The Evolution of the Spanish Language

What is language? Can be defined as: A system of communication either spoken or written shared by particular group or community of people. Has it’s own set of grammar rules as well as it’s own literature. Ejemplos: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese

Examples of the languages of Spain Castellan (Spanish) Catalan (a mix of Spanish and French, spoken in areas around the border of Spain and France) Euskara (spoken around the Basque region) Galician (strong similarities to Portuguese

Examples of vocabulary in the different languages: Euskara: kaixo (hello), eskerrik asko (thank you), bai (yes), ez (no), etxe (house), esnea (milk), Catalan: sí (yes), si us plau (please), què tal? (how are you?), cotxe (car), l'home (the man), llengua, llengo (language), Galician: polo (chicken), ovo (egg), nom (no), ola (hello)

What is dialect? Can be defined as: A particular form of a language that is used by a specific region or social group. DOES NOT have it’s own set of grammar rules or it’s own literature. Ejemplos: Dialects of English UK English, Australian English, the Southern Accent, Boston Accent etc.

Some dialects of Spanish (not all) Dialects in Spain Caribbean Andalusian (Andalusia) Central America Murcian Andean Valenciano Chilean Gallego(Galicia) Columbia- Ecuador Vasco Basque Country) Mexican Mellorquin (Balearic Islands) Northern Mexican Peruvian Canario (Canary Islands) Puerto Rican Madrileno (Madrid) Paraguayan Asturian (Asturias) Dialects in Latin America Amazon Bolivia

You talk tú hablas Iberian Spanish(the southern half of Spain)- tú hablah Argentin,Paraguay & Central America-vos hablás México- tú hablas, vos hablás

So who speaks Spanish? Spanish is the native language of 332 million people in the world. Spanish is the official language of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In addition, it is widely spoken in several other nations, including Canada, Morocco, the Philippines, and the United States.

Where did it originate? The Spanish language originated in the Southwest region of Europe known as the Iberian Peninsula. Sometime before the end of the 6th century BC, the region's first inhabitants, the Iberians, began to mingle with the Celts, a nomadic people from central Europe. The two groups formed a people called the Celtiberians, speaking a form of Celtic. 

The Evolution Under Roman rule, in 19 BC, the region became known as Hispania, and its inhabitants learned Latin from Roman traders, settlers, administrators, and soldiers. When the classical Latin of the educated Roman classes mixed with the pre-Roman languages of the Iberians, Celts, and Carthaginians, a language called Vulgar Latin appeared Latin remained the official language of government and culture until about AD 719, when Arabic-speaking Islamic groups from Northern Africa called Moors completed their conquest of the region.

The resulting language was a hybrid because Castilian borrowed many words from Mozarabic, and modern Spanish has an estimated 4,000 words with Arabic roots. The creation of a standardized Spanish language based on the Castilian dialect began in the 1200s with King Alfonso X, who was called the Learned King of Castile and Leon.

Spanish in the Americas Beginning in the 1400s, Spanish explorers, conquistadors, and colonizers carried their language to Central America, South America, and parts of North America. Spain lost control of its American colonies in the 1800s, but the Spanish language remained and is now the official language of almost every Latin American nation. The Spanish spoken in the Americas differs somewhat from European Spanish today because many words were borrowed from the languages of the indigenous peoples. Most of these words reflect features unique to the new territories, such as proper names, plants and animals, and geographic features.

Spanish in the United States In 1565 Spanish conquerors and explorers established the settlement of Saint Augustine in what is now Florida. In the 1600s and 1700s Spanish explorations and settlements extended the Spanish language North from Mexico into present-day Arizona, California, Southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, creating a distinct linguistic and cultural population in the Southwestern United States. The presence of Spanish in American culture grew throughout the late 20th century. As more native Spanish speakers sent their children to school, elementary and high schools established bilingual classes. Television executives also recognized the Spanish-speaking market and created television networks and shows in Spanish. The government printed forms and tests in Spanish. By the 1990s more than 17 million people in the United States spoke Spanish as their primary language at home.