Spanish Languages: Origins, Evolution, and Dialects

Theme 1: Origin and development of the languages of Spain: Except for Basque (Euskera), whose origin is unknown (but which greatly influenced Castilian), all languages spoken in the Iberian Peninsula (Castilian, Galician, Catalan, and Portuguese) and some dialects (Leonese and Aragonese) derive from Latin. When the peninsula became a Roman province, it adopted the language of the invaders, Vulgar Latin. This is the origin of all the Romance languages (derived from Latin). Before Roman colonization, the Peninsula was inhabited by diverse peoples from two cultures, the Celtic and Iberian, each with several languages. The Romanization process, by which people entered the Hispanic Latino cultural world, was very slow and incomplete in some areas. Later, the Visigoths invaded the Peninsula and introduced some new words. Latin evolved into a distinct spoken language. After the arrival of the Arabs, many Christians became isolated, leading to an increasing fragmentation of Latin. The language spoken by Christians in Arab-occupied areas was Mozarabic. At this point, we can distinguish several dialects in the Iberian Peninsula:

• Galician-Portuguese:

  The kingdom of Portugal split into two branches: Galician and Portuguese. While Galician remained in the Galicia region, Portuguese expanded southward.

• Leonese:

  It was the language of the early monarchy of the Reconquista. It moved south but was displaced by Castilian. Today, it survives only in a few areas.

• Castilian:

  Castile began the Reconquista, leading to the expansion of the Spanish language. The first manifestations of this Romance language are found in the Glosses of Silos and Emilian Glosses. These texts included notes in the margins using Castilian. Alfonso X undertook the important task of unifying and standardizing the language through the Alfonsine dialect. This work was continued by the School of Translators of Toledo.

• Navarro-Aragonese:

  The political importance of the Kingdom of Aragon peaked in the late Middle Ages but was halted by the spread of Castilian. Aragonese dialects are now spoken only in the Pyrenees of Huesca.

• Catalan:

  A language derived from Latin in the northeastern tip of the peninsula. The 16th-19th centuries are considered a "dark age" for the language, but it reappeared in the 19th century with the Renaissance. In the 20th century, there was a linguistic standardization. It is a more conservative language than Castilian.

In the Golden Age, Castilian, known as Spanish, became the national language. Renaissance humanism contributed to its establishment, defense, and enrichment, drawing from Latin. The printing press also contributed to the unity of Castilian, and the colonization of America helped it expand worldwide. Furthermore, a phonological and graphic control was implemented. The Asturian-Leonese and Navarro-Aragonese languages remained rural. Galician survived in its province, although the process of Castilianization reduced its use to rural areas and family settings. Catalan was important, but after the War of Succession, the Decreto de Nueva Planta prohibited the use of Catalan in the 18th century. The standardization of Castilian, begun by Nebrija, was completed. The Royal Spanish Academy set the standard grammar, and stability was achieved with the publication of three works: "Diccionario de Autoridades," "Spelling," and "Grammar."