What Languages Do The Spanish Speak in Spain?

by Javier Melendez

There are a variety of languages spoken in Spain and also a number of dialects of language. Almost everyone in Spain can speak Castilian Spanish; Castilian is the official language of the country and so is used throughout Spain. However, although it's the official language, Castilian isn't the only language that has an "official" status. These other "co-official" languages are Catalan, Euskara and Galician. These co-official languages are spoken in different regions "Comunidades Autónomas" of Spain.

On top of this, many of the official languages of Spain themselves have different derived dialects.

Catalan is classified as a roman language as it has been profoundly influenced by Latin. In the Iberian Peninsula, the Catalan langiage and its derivatives are primarily spoken in the regions of the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia however Catalan is also used in some parts of Aragon and Murcia.

Catalan became recognized in early Spain when it began to spread. It soon became regarded as a primary language. It has passed in and out of favor within the royal court of Spain through a variety, most notably the dictator the Generalisimo Francisco Franco. Since Franco's death in 1975 Catalan has been reinstated as one of Spain's official languages. It should be noted also that this language is not exclusively "Spanish" as it is also spoken in France and Italy.

Euskara is the official language of the Spanish Basque region. However, it is being used in other parts of Spain due to its co-official status. Euskara is a very interesting language in that nobody is really sure from which historical language it is derived as it is so different from any other language in the Iberian region, and indeed the world. There have been several theories on the history of this language, but its origin is still unknown at this time. Euskara is a very enigmatic language as it is one of a kind; historians truly do not have any clues as to how it became. Euskara is spoken by around 500,000 basque natives and is is the most unique language in Spain.

The third co-official language is Gallego (Galician) spoken in the region of Galicia located in the north of Spain. Like Catalan, Gallego is a roman language, however it has a much different sound to the Catalan language. In the past the Galician language and Portuguese were the same language (the historic Kingdom of Galicia once took in the territory of Portugal). Although different languages today, Portuguese and the Galician language are related by what is called a dialect continuum (i.e. they have many similarities having come from the same root language).

There are several areas in Spain where dialects are used by a relative handful of people; these "languages" have to fight to survive and are disappearing rapidly. Most regions have dialects, and although the overwhelming majority of people can speak Spanish, many choose to use their own language. Consequently a visitor to Spain may speak to several different people and hear several completely different languages, regardless of where they are in Spain! This linguistic diversity has been the subject of much discussion throughout the ages as the people of each region are proud of its language and culture.

As previously stated, the official language of Spain is Castilian. Of course many other European languages are now used in certain areas of Spain as various Europeans have migrated to Spain's warmer southern climes. And so it is likely that you will not only hear Castilian, Catalan, Gallego and Euskara (depending of course on where you are) but you may also hear English, German, Italian and French.

Javier Melendez produces content for a variety of Spanish related web sites such as the Talk Spanish website. His recent work is entitled "learn to speak Spanish".

Article Source: 1ArticleWorld.com