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The Spanish Language

The History of the Language

The roots of the Spanish language like other European languages are inherent in the Romance languages. Its linguistic base is derived from Latin or Vulgar Latin. It originated in Southwest Europe known as the Iberian Peninsula. Around the sixth century inhabitants mixed with the nomadic Celts from elsewhere in Europe. It was under Roman rule that the region became known as Hispania and its inhabitants learned Latin from Roman soldiers and traders. This became mixed with their Celtic, Iberian and Carthaginian languages to form Vulgar Latin. The model of Latin was adhered to here, but absorbed words from other languages.

Later, Germanic and Moorish tribes invaded the area and influenced the language and it is estimated that modern Spanish has around 4,000 words with Arabic roots. But Vulgar Latin continued to survive and the model of Latin with it. After Christian kingdoms re-conquered Spain and dominated the area in terms of politics, culture and language they introduced a variation on Vulgar Latin. They spoke a Vulgar Latin dialect known as Castilian which pervaded the South and Eastern regions.

In 1200 a standardized Spanish language based on Castilian was introduced by King Alfonso. A huge undertaking of translation began as Alfonso's court of scholars wrote original and translated works (largely Greek, Latin and Arabic) disseminating knowledge and language throughout Western Europe. In turn, the main three translated languages, influenced the development of Spanish. Yet, Castilian itself was concentrated in areas of Spain until the recon quest of Spain in the fifteenth century by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand who made Castilian the official dialect in their kingdom. The Spanish state was created and the Castilian language evolved into Modern Spanish. Today there are some regional differences in the Spanish State but the maintenance of a unified version of Spanish and its written form is guaranteed by the Real Act of L. Espanola.

Spanish, is a widely dispersed language, due to the Spanish explorers of earlier centuries. Castilian and Andalusia (another popular dialect) were introduced to South, North and Central America. Castilian was introduced to Peru, Mexico, Lima and Bolivia. Later it was introduced to Texas, Colorado, California and Arizona. The Spanish of the Americas differs slightly from Modern Spanish as it is influenced by the existing, indigenous languages of those areas.

Today, Spanish is the official language of around 332 million people worldwide. In Spain its two main dialects are Andalusia and Castilian but other dialects exist in more distant geographical areas where it is spoken. It is the official language in places such as Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, Peru, Uruguay, el Salvador, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Chile and is widely spoken in Canada, Morocco, the Philippines and the United States. After English and Mandarin it is estimated that it is the third most spoken language in the world with around 400 million fluent speakers.

Speaking Spanish

When travelling to a Spanish speaking country it is always useful to know a few phrases. You should know greetings such as, 'Buenos Dias!' (Good Morning!), Buenas Tardes!' (Good Evening!) and 'Bienvenido!'(Welcome!). You can ask, 'Como Estas? (How are you?) and reply to the question, 'Estoy bien, Gracias!' (I'm fine, thanks). A few other social niceties include, 'Perdone! Oiga!' (excuse me -to ask for something) or 'Perdone Disculpe' (excuse me- to pass by) and 'Tanto Gusto' (nice to meet you!).You can say, 'Adios!' (Goodbye!) at the end of the conversation.

There are some questions you will probably find the need to ask whether you are visiting for a short time, conducting business or enjoying an extended stay. You may need to ask, 'Como te llamas?' (What is your name?), 'Puede Ayudarme?' (Can you help me?), 'Hablas Ingles?' or 'Hablas Espanol?' (Do you speak English/Spanish?), 'A que te dedicas?' (What do you do for a living?) , 'Puede Repetirio!' (Can you say it again?), 'Puedes hablar mas despacio!' (Can you speak slowly?) and 'Donde esta el bano?' (where is the bathroom?)

A few other key words to learn include, 'Si' and 'No' (yes and no), 'Estoy perdido' (I'm lost), 'Necessito un Medico!' (I need a doctor!), 'Bueno' and 'Malo' (good and bad), 'No entiendo' (I don't understand), 'grande/pequeno' (big/small), 'hoy/ahora' (today/now), 'manana/ayer' (tomorrow/yesterday) and of course, 'Espana es un pais marvellous' (Spain is a marvellous country).

Spanish Culture

Spain is a Roman Catholic country of small families. The former machismo (masculine) culture that shaped Spain is fading to be replaced by equality as women now work and go to university. The family unit is important in this country but the birth rate is the lowest in Europe and the immediate family consists of a small unit which is not as close to the extended family as it was formerly. Children are no longer expected to continue the family business and personal choice dictates career choices.

It is famous for its colourful culture and traditions. It has produced a legacy of artistry that is world famous. This legacy began with El Greco and Diego Valasquez (centuries ago) to Francisco Goya to Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali in the twentieth century. It has also produced flamenco dancing with castanets, the music (deep song) of the giantos (gypsies) and invented the classical guitar by adding a sixth string to the Moorish lute. Bullfighting first originated in Spain and is still popular today although there are some issues with Animal Rights and there are less spectators. Bullfighting has given over to football as the main spectator sport in Spain as Real Madrid and Barcelona are particularly successful and world famous teams and ticket prices are lower in comparative cost to those in England.

Business Culture

Spanish businesses tend to work with those they know and trust. To build a relationship with Spanish contacts one has to build that trust and get to know the contacts. It is best to do this through face to face contact although meetings can be set up through email or telephoning. It is important that once meetings are set up that these are for the Spanish to get to know their contacts. They may not speak English and all documentation should be printed in both languages so that everyone can be understood. Once contracts are drawn up formally as a result of the meetings these are expected to be strictly adhered to by both parties. Once trust has been earned then loyalty will be to the person not the company therefore contacts can be kept when changing companies.

Spanish is a language used all over the world by a large volume of people and important to know when in Spanish speaking countries which attract high numbers of visitors and when doing business.
Further Spanish Language references

Spanish Courses in Spain - Universpain offers Spanish courses in Salamanca, Santander, Malaga, Barcelona and Sevilla. Choose from Mini Spanish Courses, Standard Spanish Courses, Intensive Spanish Courses, Power Spanish Courses, One to one lessons, D.E.L.E Courses and more. Find student accommodation details....  
universpain.com

Twoj-Sklep - An Ebook is a book in an electronic form. It can be delivered via email, or uploaded from a website like a normal file. Ebooks also have pages which can be clicked on to turn a page forward or back. It usually appears on the computer as a book, with pages, chapters and title page. Twoj-Sklep provides foreign language courses via ebooks....  
twojsklep.co.uk

Spanish For Children With Speekee - Speekee is a new approach to languages for young children. Designed by professional linguists and educators, Speekee facilitates accelerated learning, music and `authentic` speakers of the foreign language.....  
speekee.co.uk

Activity Holidays Granada - Always Spain specialises in activity holidays in and around Granada. The firm offers tailored holidays, including details on Flamenco, Food & Wine, Photography, Walking & Biking, attractions and much more...  
allwaysspain.com

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