Spanish Yiannis Bampalis

General Information Where is the language spoken? Spanish , also called Castilian , is a Romance language that originated in Castile, a region of Spain . In addition to this , Spanish is the official language of Argentina , Colombia , Chile , Bolivia , Guatemala , Ecuador , Mexico , Peru , Paraguay , Uruguay and Venezuela. It is also widely spoken in several other nations , including Canada , namely North and South America.

By whom is Spanish spoken and how many people speak it? With between 320 and 400 million people around the globe speaking Spanish as their first and much more as their second language , Spanish is one of the most widespread and significant languages of today’s modern world. Generally it is mainly spoken by people of Latin America , Spain and more than 21 countries of West hemisphere.

History How did it become the dominant language? The Spanish language originated in the Southwest region of Europe is known as the Iberian Peninsula. Sometime before the end of the 6th century BC ,the region’s first inhabitants , the Iberians, began to mingle with the Celts , who were nomadic people of central Europe. The two groups formed the Celtiberians , who spoke a form of Celtic. During the succeeding centuries , the Christian Kingdoms gradually reconquered Moorish Spain , taking back the country linguistically as well as politically , militarily and culturally . As the Christians moved South , their Vulgar Latin dialects became dominant.

Which language became extinct? Under Roman rule , in 19 BC, the region became known as Hispania and its inhabitants learned Latin from Roman traders , settlers and soldiers. When the classical Latin of the educated Roman classes mixed with the pre-Roman languages of the Iberians and Celts , a language called Vulgar Latin appeared . In order for this new form of Latin to be appeared , mainly Iberian and Celt dialects became extinct as the new form borrowed and added words from the other languages.

Culture The culture of Spain is known for its folklores in many and different regions of Spain . The traditional ancient culture of Spain has been turned into a mixed culture with the increasing migration of Europeans to Spain in the recent time. The primeval traditions since the time of medieval age are matters of pride for the culture of Spain.

Who are the artists composing their work in this language and culture? The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain. It begins in 1492 and ends in 1659. It was marked by painters such as Diego Velazquez and El Greco who are regarded as two of the most influential painters of European history.

Spanish-speaking Writers Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote considered as the most influential work of the Spanish Golden Age and features prominently in most lists of the best books ever written. More recently, Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez author of 100 Years Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera which earned him a Nobel in 1982. Pablo Neruda also won a Nobel Prize in 1971 for his poetic work and the list goes on….

How has the Spanish language affected the global community? The Spanish language has affected the global community positively . Despite the fact that it is spoken in many countries that prefer to speak Spanish rather than their official language ,it should be noted that many types of languages have lexical similarities with Spanish . For example , the lexical similarities with Italian is estimated at 82% and with Portuguese greater than 85%. On a global level , there are many speakers in Latin American , Africa , the United States and in Asia-Pacific . All in all , the Spanish contribution to many countries in Europe or in South America is far from great as many regions show a big preference of Spanish rather than speaking their own official language.

Bibliography www.enforex.com\language\spanish-spoken.html www.wikipedia.org\wiki\spanish_language www.trustedtranslations.com\spanish-language\history-of-spanish\in-spain.asp www.mapsofworld.com\spain\culture-spain

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