castilian spanish and the history of spanish language

Prior to commencing any Spanish translation project it is extremely important to understand the different types of Spanish used in the world. Even the meaning of certain terms in the translation industry can vary depending on the context. The term "Castilian Spanish" is commonly used to refer to the Spanish spoken in Spain. However, it can also be understood as the Spanish dialect spoken in the region of Castilla in Spain and, in another context, it can be used to refer to neutral Spanish understood in all Spanish-speaking countries.

"Castilian Spanish" is often used in the following manners:

The North-Central standard of Spanish, as opposed to the Spanish spoken in other regions of Spain, such as in the South (Andalusian). :

The Spanish of Spain, as opposed to the Spanish spoken in Central and South America. :

Neutral Spanish, often referred to as "pure" Spanish and backed by the Royal Spanish Academy.

At Trusted Translations we normally recommend that your Spanish translations be in a neutral Spanish that is widely understood in all Spanish-speaking markets. Depending on the needs of each client, we also offer Spanish translations for the Spanish (Spain) market or for any Latin American Spanish local dialect. It can be as specific as a region of a particular country.

The history of the Spanish language in Spain started with the evolution of Vulgar Latin and grew to the various dialects of Spanish used in Spain to the types of Spanish used all over the world.

Castilian Spanish & Andalusian dialects were some of the first to emerge and originated in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania) becoming truly recognizable as a separate language in the 10th century. Modern Spanish from Spain developed with the takeover of Moorish Spain by Isabella of Castile & Ferdinand of Aragón.

The history of the Spanish language in the Americas (mostly South and Central America) logically commenced with the discovery of the Americas and the early colonization by the Spanish. Until the colonization of the Americas, the Spanish Language had been confined to the Iberian Peninsula.

THE HISTORY OF SPANISH LANGUAGE IN SPAIN

The Spanish Language can be traced to the Indo-European language family. Around 2000 years before the birth the Christ, the Celtiberians were formed and started an early version of Celtic.

The inhabitants of this region, later referred by scholars as Hispania, started to learn Latin from the Romans. The combination of the Celtic language and Latin evolved into what is referred to by many as Vulgar Latin. Vulgar Latin was an adapted form of Latin that used different phrases and words than traditional Latin.

When the Visigoths took over the region called Hispania, Latin remained the dominant and official language of the region. This continued until the Moors, an Arabic-speaking group, conquered the region. Arabic became the dominant language except for certain regions dominated by the Christians. In such regions, Vulgar Latin remained the official language. As the Christian groups started to reclaim Moorish Spain, Vulgar Latin returned as the dominant language in all the regions.

CASTILLIAN SPANISH DIALECT

While Vulgar Latin was dominant, it took on a different form integrating Arabic and forms of a related dialect called Mozarabic. It is estimated that approximately 3000-4000 words in today's Spanish are derived from Arabic.

Castilian dialects of Spanish started to take form around the 13th century with King Alfonso X, referred to as the Learned–King of Castile, and Leon. Toledo became the cultural epicenter for the King and his scholars. In Toledo, these scholars created works in Castilian Spanish and then began a series of translations of the various works of science, the law, literature, history, etc. into Castilian Spanish. These translations resulted as the basis for the dissemination of information in a significant part of Western Europe. The King soon declared Castilian as the official language for government documents and decrees.

The dominance of the Castilian dialect continued to grow as the Catholic kingdoms took over most regions of Spain. Isabella and Ferdinand declared Castilian Spanish as the official dialect. Soon thereafter, the Art of Castilian Language became work that help shape and standardize the Spanish language.

Castilian Spanish quickly then became the official language for all educational materials and official documents in all Spain. Certain regions maintained different dialects, most notably Andalusian, spoken in Seville.

The History of Spanish Language in Latin America

In the 15th century, Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas and brought the Castilian Spanish language with him. As a result of what scholars refer to as "hispanización", Spanish was established a primary language in the region.

During the early stages of "hispanización", there were many challenges as the local languages were starkly different, making communications difficult. Until the Catholic Church stepped in, it was unclear whether Spanish would survive in the region. Hence, he Catholic Church was instrumental in the expansion of use of Spanish in the region. In particular, the Jesuits and Franciscans established learning intuitions in Spanish to teach children Catholicism. As the children and adolescents grew, the Spanish language started to spread and expand. As Catholicism grew, so did the use of the Spanish language as the primary form of communication.

Despite the efforts of the Spaniards to impose the language on the natives, the sheer dominance in numbers caused the language to blend in with the local dialects. In particular, Mexican and Peruvian natives were able to significantly influence the language spoken today in Latin America.

Certain influences from Spanish explorers from Andalusia help shape the pronunciation of Latin American Spanish versus Castilian Spanish. This is why certain words in Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish sound quite different even though the spellings are the same. The combination of all these historical and sociological events has caused the evolution of the distinct form of Latin American Spanish spoken today in Central and South America.