Negosentro.com | Interesting facts you should know about Spanish | Popular representations of the Spanish culture are all around us. From fresh tacos from Taco Bell, a match of Real Madrid or Barcelona, a painting by Pablo Picasso, an episode of ‘Narcos’ or the concept of an afternoon siesta — the Spanish have contributed a lot to today’s pop culture. An easy way to explore the culture is to learn the Spanish language.
The Spanish language is one of the most widely used languages in the western hemisphere with a significant influence on the business world. Learning the language can help you communicate with people from Spanish speaking countries and exposes you to a rich culture and literature. And the great part is, you can take spanish lessons online now and learn the language sitting at home.
If you are curious about the language, this blog can pique your curiosity even further. The blog lists some interesting facts about Spanish that you might not have heard before. Wanna know more interesting facts besides Spanish language? Check out this article and they talk about 300 random facts that will surely add up to your knowledge. These can encourage you to invest time and money into learning the language.
Interesting facts about Spanish language
Here are a few interesting facts about the language that can convince you to learn Spanish in London or any other metropolitan city.
- It is the second most spoken language in the world: Spanish is spoken by millions of people around the world. In fact, it is estimated to be the mother tongue of 400-500 billion people. It is second only to Mandarin which is spoken by more than a billion people.
- 21 countries list Spanish as an official language: Spanish enjoys the status of an official language in more than 20 nations in the world. This makes the language a significant part of many international trade or business transactions. In addition to these countries, it also serves as a medium of communication in many dependent territories. Owing to this, many international organisations have adopted Spanish as one of their official languages.
- Spanish can be considered a romantic language: The Spanish literature is vast and rich with diverse texts and books. The language has one of the largest collections of poetry and novels. Hence, it can be considered as a romantic language.
- The language has its roots in Latin: Spanish has originated from Latin which was prevalent in the Roman Empire. Subsequently, Latin was adopted by the Spanish empire and it was modified to the present form of Spanish over hundreds of years.
- Spanish has two names—Castellano and Español: The native Spanish speakers have two different names for the language— Español and Castellano. The terms are applicable according to specific regions. People in the northern and central parts of Spain speak Castellano whereas Español is spoken mostly in the former colonies of Spain.
- It is a phonetic language: Spanish is a fairly phonetic language. That means every letter in the word has a specific sound. This makes it simpler for non-natives to learn the language.
- The Royal Spanish Academy is ‘in charge’ of Spanish: The Royal Spanish Academy based out of Madrid is the official custodian of the Spanish language. It operates many other academies in the 21 countries that have adopted Spanish as an official language. They are responsible for recording the changes in the language and publishing Spanish dictionaries and grammar rule books.
- Spanish is influenced by Arabic: When the Arab armies started conquering the Iberian Peninsula (Modern day Spain), the Arabic language gradually missed with Old Spanish to become the modern version. Thousands of modern-day Spanish words have Arabic origins.
- Earliest Spanish texts were written more than a thousand years ago: Many ancient Spanish texts have been discovered which are estimated to be at least a thousand years old. The most famous one is the Las Glosas Emilianenses which was written in 964 A.D.
These facts reveal the prominence of Spanish from the old ages to the modern world. The language has a long heritage and is increasing in its relevance today. People of all ages and backgrounds can reap the benefits of learning this global language.
