Spanish LanguageJake Bever

Language Spread

• Spanish language began in Spain• When Christopher Columbus and other Spanish conquistadors discovered the

New World, they brought the language with them• Spanish became the official language for trade between countries dealing with

the Spanish empire

Evolution of Spanish• Spanish is derived from Latin• When the Roman Empire fell, different dialects formed from

Latin, one being Spanish• Arabic speaking people invaded Spain, introducing around

4000 words to the Spanish dictionary that come from Arabic (Words beginning with “Al”)

• In the “New World” there were multiple languages that were used: Latin, local dialects, and Spanish• These languages left an influence on the original Spanish

language• New forms of Spanish were created in South and Central America

• Many English speakers who learn Spanish use “Spanglish” which is a mix of English and Spanish

Timeline

Spanish origin

1000

Moors invaded Spain

711

Spanish became official language of Spain

1400’s 1492

Columbus finds “New World”

Standard vs. variant languages• The varieties of the Spanish language are very different from

one another in pronunciation and vocabulary• Grammar stays the same for the most part

• Spanish in Spain is more formal than Spanish in America• “rr” is rolled where as in central america “rr” is one syllable

• Judaeo Spanish is spoken by the Jews whose ancestors lived in Spain during the 15th century• An “s” between vowels sounds like a “z” as in rosa (roza)

Official Languages• Countries that adopt a single language have more efficient

trade and government activity• There would be less conflict if everyone understood each

other• Less diversity

Multilingual Countries• home to many cultures and people• This could create more opportunity for immigrants to succeed• More confusion between people who don’t speak the same

language

Language and Territory• When the moors were driven out of Spain by the Christians,

The Spanish Empire made Spanish the official language of the country

• If you spoke Spanish, you were a part of the country• Source of nationalism

• Catalonia, a region of Spain, speaks there own form of Spanish (Catalan) and is trying to gain independence from Spain• Own language shows signs of independence from Spain

Toponyms• Places in the United States have toponyms from the Spanish

language• Alamo, TX- “Alamo” means poplar tree• Colorado- “Reddish” in Spanish• California- Named after a mythical land described by a Spanish

novel• Florida- “Flowery”

• All of the places with Spanish toponyms were once settled by Spanish speaking people

Language Controversies• Valencian vs. Catalan• Valencian speakers believe there is a clear difference between the

two dialects• Right now Valencian is a branch of Catalan• This language is a source of nationalism for the people of Valencia• Most professors agree that Valencian and Catalan are both

variants from the same language (Spanish)• United States deciding if Immigrants should take Bilingual

classes or English only classes• Would require non-English speakers to learn the language• The amount of Spanish speaking Americans is on the rise• Native Spanish speakers would learn better in bilingual classes• Causes a separation between Spanish speaking students and

English speaking students

Sources• http://www.icadl2008.org/how-spanish-spread.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_dialects_and_varieties• http://spanish.about.com/library/weekly/aa110502a.htm