The Evolution and Global Reach of the Spanish Language
Languages in Spain
Spain is a multilingual nation where people speak Castilian (Spanish), Catalan, Euskera, and Galician.
The Castilian Language
Castilian is currently one of the most important languages in the world, spoken by 400 million people, second only to Mandarin Chinese.
Geographic Distribution
Castilian is spread throughout the Spanish territory. It is an official language in 19 Latin American countries, Central America, and has official status in Equatorial Guinea. It is also spoken in Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco and in areas of the Sahara territory that belonged to Spain until 1975.
History of the Castilian Language
Castilian originated in a zone between Burgos, Cantabria, La Rioja, and Álava. It became widespread during the period of the Reconquista, incorporating elements from the Astur-Leonese and Navarro-Aragonese areas.
Early Texts and Development
- 10th-11th Centuries: The first known texts in Castilian, the Emilianense and Silense glosses, were written by monks at the monasteries of Santo Domingo de Silos and San Millán de la Cogolla.
- Reign of Alfonso X (1252–1284): Castilian gained significant development as a written language. Alfonso X promoted its use in official kingdom documents and drove the editing of prose books, establishing the first spelling conventions.
- Catholic Monarchs: The linguistic unification of Spain began. Elio Antonio de Nebrija published the first Castilian Grammar in 1492.
- 16th–17th Centuries: The language began to be known as Spanish and acquired its current unified pronunciation. This period also saw the conquest and colonization of the Americas and the flourishing of Spanish Golden Age literature.
- 18th Century: The language reached its current configuration. The Royal Spanish Academy published the Dictionary of Authorities (1739), an orthography (1741), and a grammar (1771).
- 19th Century: The national government made the Spanish language compulsory at all educational levels.