What Languages Are Spoken In Spain?

There are a variety of languages used in Spain and also a number of dialects of these languages. Almost everyone in Spain can speak Castilian Spanish; Castilian is the official language of the country and so is used throughout Spain. However, although the official language, Castilian isn't the only language that has "official" status. These other "co-official" languages are Euskara, Catalan 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 categorised as a romantic language as it has been profoundly influenced by Latin. In the Iberian Peninsula, the Catalan langiage and its dialects are principally spoken in the regions of Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands however it is also used in some parts of Aragon and Murcia.

Catalan came to be recognized in early Spain when it began to blossom. It soon became regarded as a primary language. It has passed in and out of favor in the Spanish court through a variety, most notably the dictator General Franco. Since General Franco's death in the 1970s Catalan has been reinstated as one of Spain's official languages. It should be noted also that Catalan is not exclusively "Spanish" as it is also used in Italy and France.

Euskara is primarily used in the Spanish Basque region. However, it is being used in other parts of Spain due to its co-official status. The Basque language is a very unusual language in that nobody is entirely certain where it has come from 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 Euskara, but the origin is still unknown at this time. Euskara is a very distinctive language as it is one of a kind; historians really do not have any clues as to how it came to be. The Basque language is spoken by approximately 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 northern Spain. Like Catalan, Gallego is a romantic language, although it has a very different sound to the Catalan language. In the past the Galician language and Portuguese were the same language (the historic Kingdom of Galicia once included the territory of Portugal). Although different languages today, Portuguese and the Galician language are united by what is called a dialect continuum (i.e. they have many similarities having come from the same language root).

There are a few areas in Spain where dialects are used by a relative handful of people; these "languages" have to fight to survive and are gradually disappearing. Most regions have dialects, and although the overwhelming majority of people know how to 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, no matter where they are in Spain! This type of diversity has been the subject of much discussion throughout the years as the people of each region are proud of its language and culture.

As previously stated, the official language of Spain is Castilian Spanish. Of course many other European languages are now used in certain areas of Spain as various peoples 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 French, Italian, German and English.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

Javier Melendez produces content for many Spain related web sites such as the Spanish-Talk.co.uk website. His recent work is entitled "learn Spanish".

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