One of the biggest foreign influences was Italian immigration into Argentina and its effect on the country’s Spanish dialect. The Spanish in Latin America (principally the lexicon) continues to be influenced by a range of different indigenous languages today.įast forward a few hundred years and huge waves of immigrants have introduced countless new words and accents to Latin America. Some linguists estimate that over 2,000 languages have been spoken in the region. Latin America was already rich with indigenous peoples and highly advanced civilizations, like the Inca and the Aztecs, for example. The Spanish language quickly spread to the Americas. Conveniently, there were scores of unemployed, highly-trained soldiers from the Spanish Reconquista waiting for a new mission. In the years following the original discovery by Colombus, Spanish conquistadores flooded the Americas looking for gold and glory. The Spanish Language Spreads to The New World Spain Doesn’t Only Speak Spanishīut not without push back… Even today in Spain, there are four other official languages: Catalan, Occitan (Aranès), Galician and Basque (from Navarra), a language so old that linguists presume it is the last descendant of a pre-Indo European language from Western Europe, unlike its neighboring Latin languages. He also began to use the language in official government documents and reports.Īlmost 400 years later in 1492, after expelling the last of the Moors from Spain, Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon (yes, the ones who funded Columbus) declared Castilian Spanish the official language of Spain. He and his scholars translated an enormous amount of written work from Latin, Arabic, and Greek into Castilian Spanish. The use of Castilian Spanish as a standard language was begun by King Alfonso X (ruler of Castile, León, and Galicia). Castilian Spanish Becomes the Official Language of Spain In fact, during the 700 years that the Moors inhabited the Iberian Peninsula (711-1492), the Castilian lexicon evolved to reflect their cultural influence, which is why today there are many Spanish words of Arabic origin. The language also borrowed much of its vocabulary from Greek and Arabic. The Castilian dialect of Vulgar Latin was developed around the north-central region of Spain and started to spread throughout the peninsula. Spanish is a Romance language derived from Latin, more specifically Vulgar Latin, a version spoken by commoners. Here is a (very) brief history of the origin and evolution of the Spanish language. 5 main differences between Castilian and Latin American Spanish.A brief history of the Spanish language.To give you a better idea of HOW the two Spanish dialects differ, let’s go over the following:
Today, we’re here to help you figure it out! Latin American Spanish.Ĭurious language learners might find themselves faced with the question, “Should I learn Latin American Spanish or Castilian Spanish?” Should I Learn Castilian Spanish or Latin American Spanish? Coche or carro? Conducir or Manejar? Bolígrafo or Pluma? It’s the notorious language battle royale: Spain Spanish vs.
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