A brief history of Spanish - Ilan Stavans

Summary

The script traces the evolution of Spanish from the 3rd century Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, through the influences of Latin, Visigothic, and Arabic, to the unification under Castilian during the Catholic Monarchs' reign. It discusses the language's spread and adaptation in the Americas, incorporating Indigenous words, and its continued evolution with French influences. Despite variations, Spanish maintains a remarkable unity across 21 countries and hundreds of millions of speakers worldwide.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the 3rd century led to the development of regional languages including Castilian, which would later evolve into Spanish.
• 🗣️ Vulgar Latin, the colloquial spoken Latin during Roman times, mixed with Indigenous languages and is the primary source (approximately 75%) of modern Spanish, influencing its syntax and grammar.
• 📚 Latin's influence is evident in Spanish's noun gender system, where 'el sol' (the sun) is masculine and 'la luna' (the moon) is feminine.
• 🏰 After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Visigoths conquered the region, contributing Germanic words to the evolving Spanish language.
• 🕌 The Umayyad Caliphate's rule left a significant mark on Spanish, with over a thousand Arabic words incorporated, often starting with 'a' or 'z' sounds and sometimes including 'h'.
• 👑 In 1492, the Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand unified Spain, expelling Muslims and Jews, and standardized the Castilian language as the official state language, which became known as Español or Spanish.
• 🌐 The Spanish conquest of the Americas led to the forced adoption of Spanish by Indigenous populations, who spoke an estimated 2,000 different languages, and contributed words to Spanish from their own languages.
• 📚 The publication of 'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes in 1605 marked a stage where Spanish was more similar to its modern form compared to contemporary English plays.
• 🌟 The 18th century saw the influence of French language and culture on Spanish, adding new words and further enriching the lexicon.
• 🏛️ Despite gaining independence from Spain, many Central and South American countries retained Spanish as their official language, contributing to its status as the second most spoken language by number of countries.
• 🌐 Spanish maintains its unity across diverse regions due to shared syntax, grammar, and vocabulary, despite regional variations that might affect intelligibility between speakers from different areas.

Q & A

When did the Romans conquer the Iberian Peninsula?

The Romans conquered the Iberian Peninsula in the 3rd century BCE.

What regional languages emerged in Spain during the Roman occupation?

During the Roman occupation, regional languages that emerged in Spain included Castilian, Catalan, and Galician.

What percentage of modern Spanish vocabulary is derived from Latin?

Approximately 75% of modern Spanish vocabulary comes from Latin.

How did the Visigoths influence the development of the Spanish language?

The Visigoths, starting in the 5th century CE, spoke an eastern Germanic language that contributed a few words to the language that would become Spanish.

In what way did Arabic impact the Spanish language?

Arabic, spoken by the Umayyad Caliphate, left a strong mark on modern Spanish, with over a thousand words coming from it, often starting with 'a' or 'z' sounds and sometimes including an 'h'.

Who were the monarchs that consolidated the power of the Catholic Church and unified Spain?

Isabella and Ferdinand were the monarchs who consolidated the power of the Catholic Church, expelled Muslims and Jews, and unified Spain.

Why was Castilian chosen as the official state language of Spain?

Castilian was chosen as the official state language because it was from the centrally located Kingdom of Castile, which was home to Madrid.

How did the Spanish language change after the conquest of the Americas?

After the conquest of the Americas, Spanish changed as the Indigenous population was forced to adopt it, and words from Indigenous languages like Nahuatl and Quechua became part of Spanish.

What significant event marked the start of the Spanish conquest of the Americas?

The start of the Spanish conquest of the Americas was marked by Christopher Columbus sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492.

How did the French language influence Spanish during the 18th century?

During the 18th century, French language and culture became fashionable in Spain and later Hispanic America, leading to Spanish gaining new words from French.

Why has Spanish not fragmented into multiple languages despite its widespread use?

Spanish has not fragmented into multiple languages because, despite regional variations, it retains enough unity in syntax, grammar, and vocabulary to remain a single language.