The Spanish language in an Indo-European romance language that originated in the north of Spain around 2000 BCE. The inhabitants of this region (now referred to as Hispania by scholars) spoke languages similar to that of the Celts of northern Europe and also later began to learn Latin from the Romans. The two languages merged into what is now referred to as Vulgar Latin.
Later, when Hispania was taken over by the Visigoths, Vulgar Latin continued to remain the official and dominant language of the region.However, when Hispania was conquered by the Moors, Arabic suceeded Latin as the dominant language of the region, in all but some Christian dominated areas where Vulgar Latin still remained as the offical language. Christians then gradually reclaimed Hispania from the Moors, restoring Vulgar Latin as the dominant language accross the region. While Vulgar Latin was regaining dominance, it also evolved, integrating some Arabic and also some of the Mozarabic dialect. In today’s Spanish language, estimates suggest that up to 4000 words are derived from the Arabic language.
At the time of King Alfonso X, known as the learned King of Castile and Leon, Castilian dialects of the Spanish language begin to emerge. It was in Toledo where the King and his scholars began to translate into Castilian Spanish works of science, law, literature and history. Later the King declared Castilian as the official Spanish language of government.
Castilian Spanish language then continued to grow in dominance as the Catholic Kingdoms took over most regions of Spain and quickly became the offical Spanish language throughout the country, although certain regions did maintain different dialects.
The Spanish language was taken to the Americas and also to the Spanish East Indies via Spanish colonization from the 16th century onwards, and around that time the Spanish language became the principal language of politics and Art in most of Europe (later replaced by French in the 18th century).
The Spanish language was introduced in the 20th century to Equatorial Guinea, the Western Sahara, and to the United States, such as in Spanish Harlem, in New York City.
The Spanish language is an official language of Spain, the country after which it is named and from where it originated. The Spanish langugae is spoken in Gibraltar, although English is the official language there. The Spanish language is also spoken in Andorra, although Catalan is the country’s official language. In addition to this there are small communities within the rest of Europe where the Spanish language is spoken, such as the UK, Germany and France. In Switzerland, Spanish is the native language of 1.7% of the population.
The Spanish language is an official language of the European Union.
