Spanish Language History
From Hispanic Vista
By Patrick Osio
"What is the Spanish language?
What can I learn about the Spanish language?
The Spanish language has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, having evolved from several dialects of Latin. It is part of the Ibero-Romance language
group, along with Castilian (another word for Spanish)*, Portuguese, Catalan, and Galician. It is also part of the Romance language group, along with
French, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian.
Spanish, or Castilian, became more widespread through the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile, that unified northern Spain with central and southern
Iberia in the late Middle Ages. The unification of the kingdoms of Castile and Leon under the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs) Ferdinand and
Isabel, along with the rise of the Spanish Empire, solidified the place of Spanish among the top three languages spoken in the world.
Castilian and Spanish are synonyms for the Spanish language. However, the usage of Castilian is due to the fact that there are many different
languages spoken in Spain; thus, to call one of the many other languages "Spanish" would assume that none of the other languages spoken in Spain are
also Spanish or of Spanish origin. The other languages of Spain, both official and unofficial, are Galician, Basque, Catalan, Aranese, Asturian,
******ese, Extremaduran, and Fala.
*Castilian in Spanish is castellano.
Arab Words in the Spanish Language
What are some Spanish language words?
Arab words began finding their way into the Spanish language up from the south of Spain around the 8th and 9th centuries. The region of Andalucía,
once known as Al Andalus, was the center of Arab and Muslim culture in the Iberian Peninsula. When the Christian Reconquista (Reconquest) by the
Kingdom of Castile occurred in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries, former Arab-speaking regions found themselves speaking Romance dialects and
contributing many of their words to the various languages. Below you will find examples of this influence that are still in use today.
aceite: oil
aceituna: olive
alcohol: alcohol
alfombra: carpet; rug
álgebra: algebra
algodón: cotton
almohada: pillow
almuerzo: lunch
asesino: assassin
azar: luck; chance
azúcar: sugar
azul: blue
baño: bath
café: coffee
cero: zero
droga: drug
hasta: until
jarabe: syrup
jarra: pitcher or other pot with handle(s)
jirafa: giraffe
lima: lime
limón: lemon
loco: crazy
naranja: orange
ojalá: I hope; I wish that
rincón: corner
taza: cup
zanahoria: carrot
As you can see, the Spanish language is a diverse language that has influences from all over the world. Throughout your Spanish language-learning
journey, see if you can spot other ways in which Spanish has been influenced by the world around it!
Indigenous Words in the Spanish Language
What are some Spanish language words?
Many words in Spanish are indigenous words that were incorporated into the language during colonization under the Spanish Empire. Among the languages
that contributed words to Spanish are Nahuatl, Arawak, Guaraní, Quechua, Tupi, Carib, and Maya. Below are a couple of examples of common Spanish words
that didn't exist in the Spanish language until the discovery of the New World!
aguacate (Nahuatl): avocado
cacao (Nahuatl): cocoa
canoa (Taíno Arawak): canoe
chicle (Nahuatl): gum
chocolate (Nahuatl): chocolate
guacamole (Nahuatl): guacamole
guayaba (Arawak): guava
hamaca (Taíno Arawak): hammock
huracán (Taíno Arawak): hurricane
jaguar (Guaraní): jaguar
llama (animal, Quechua): llama
maíz (Taíno Arawak): corn
papa (Quechua): potato
papaya (Carib): papaya
Tabaco (Taíno Arawak): tobacco
Tiburón (Arawak): shark
tomate (Nahuatl): tomato
Many of the words contributed to the Spanish language from indigenous languages are food words, which makes sense since the tropical fruits and
vegetables found in the New World were unknown to Europeans and so had no translation.
Did you know... that tomatoes and potatoes were introduced to Europe only after the discovery of the New World? That means that the traditional
European diet of "meat and potatoes" is relatively new, and that Italian cuisine was nothing like it is today. Imagine Italian food with no tomatoes
or tomato sauce!
¿Sabías que... los tomates y las papas sólo fueron introducidas a Europa después del descubrimiento del Nuevo Mundo? Eso significa que la dieta
tradicional Europea de comer "carne y papa" es bastante novedosa, y que la cocina italiana no se parecía en nada a la que conocemos hoy día.
¡Imagínate comer comida italiana sin tomates o salsa de tomate!
Spanish Language Trivia
There are between 450 and 500 million Spanish speakers worldwide, with 40 million of those living in Spain, 360 million in Hispanic America, and more
than 35 million in the United States.
This makes Spanish the second most spoken language in the world after Mandarin Chinese and above English.
Spanish is the third most used language on the Internet, after English and Mandarin Chinese.
Mexico has the most Spanish language speakers in the world, with over 112 million speakers.
Spanish is one of the six official languages of the UN.
Equatorial Guinea is the only African country to have Spanish as an official language, having once been a part of the Spanish Empire.
There are 24 countries in the world with Spanish-speaking populations, including the U.S."
Patrick Osio, Jr. is the Editor of HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com). Contact at: posiojr@aol.com
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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