Together with other initially European languages such as Portuguese, French or Italian, the linguistic roots of Spanish make it a Romance language. This means that Latin, or more specifically, Vulgar Latin, constitutes its most important linguistic base.
The constant contact and mutual influence of the Latin basis with other linguistic traditions and cultures has led to the formation of the different Romance languages as we know them today. In the case of Spanish, there are, for example, characteristics that come from the Iberian and Celtic traditions.
There is also a great amount of Greek vocabulary that was first adopted by Latin speakers and then brought into Spanish. Words such as "escuela" (school) or "huerfano" (orphan) all belong to this tradition. And we should not forget the seven centuries of Arab domination of the peninsula. This has left, among other things, an important legacy of lexical elements that have been incorporated into the Spanish language. A surname you probably know which exemplifies this is "Almodovar".
Spanish is, especially in the bilingual territories of Spain, also known as castellano (Castilian), because of its origins in the region of Castilla. Castilla is situated in the north-central part of Spain, and it was once the neuralgic center of the Spanish empire that would take the Spanish language to more than twenty other countries.
The establishment of a linguistic unity of Spanish as a common language for the state of Spain was parallel to its territorial unity. This union was only possible after the Reconquest of the peninsula from the Arab settlers, at the end of the 15th century. The kingdom of Castilla, and also its linguistic variety, expanded to the practical totality of the Iberian Peninsula. After the marriage of Isabel I of Castilla and Fernando II of Aragon, the Spanish state was born, and Castilian language and culture became its most dominant identity. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, through a series of linguistic evolutions and normalizing changes, the language of the Spanish state became what is nowadays known as Modern Spanish.
It is important to remember, however, that spoken Spanish is not identical in the different regions of the Spanish state. In fact, its pronunciation and lexical characteristics can vary to a very significant extent from one place to another. However, the maintenance of a unified, standard, version of the Spanish language and of its written form is guaranteed by the Real Academia de la Lengua Espanola. The Academia sets the rules to follow in order to speak and write in a way that is accepted by all the different Spanish speakers.
A History Of The Spanish Language
The Spanish language has been called the second world language, due to its large world wide distribution. It's origin goes far back into history. Tribes, such as the Celts, Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks, have contributed to the early development of the Spanish language.
Around 200 BC, due to the reign of the Roman Empire and then later on during the 5th to the 8th century, due to the long period of the Muslim invasion of about 750 years, the Spanish language has been influenced and undergone further development.
Over this period of continuing tensions between Christians and Muslims and over about 3700 battles later Philip the III succeeded and the last battle with Muslim invaders had been fought. Some centuries later then in 1469, through the marriage union of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II, Spain became a Kingdom. The year 1492 also presents a milestone in the start of the wide distribution and influence of the Spanish language When Ferdinand and Isabella sent the all known Italian explorer Christopher Columbus to sea, which led to the discovery of the American Continent.
The worldwide distribution of the Spanish language and the number of speakers: With the colonial power of Spain the Spanish language has become widespread, second only to the English language. The Spanish language is one of the romance languages, such like Italian and French. The Spanish language is colorful and rich in history and an impressive number of millions of people are speaking this language today. Here is a chart of the top ten countries with Spanish speakers:
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Steven Muller has sinced written about articles on various topics from Learn Spanish, Education and Learn Spanish. Steven Muller is director of Babylon Idiomas, a Spanish language institute with schools in Spain, Argentina and Costa Rica. Visit the website to learn more about Spanish. Steven Muller's top article generates over 1600 views. Bookmark Steven Muller to your Favourites.
Jacob Lumbroso has sinced written about articles on various topics from Learn Spanish, Religion and Education. Jacob Lumbroso writes articles for www.ultimatelanguagestore.com on history and foreign languages.. Jacob Lumbroso's top article generates over 60500 views. Bookmark Jacob Lumbroso to your Favourites.
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