Spanish Where did the Spanish language come from?

Ever wondered where the Spanish language came from and how it has evolved into the language you know today? Well, look no further! In this blog post, we’ll be uncovering the origins of the Spanish language. Allow us to take you on a journey…

The Spanish we know and speak today originated from the Castilian dialect, which arose in Cantabria (North-Central Spain) in the early 9th century. Following years of settlement and the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal), Castilian became the official language of all of Spain. Thus leaving other Spanish dialects crowded out with the exception of Basque and Catalan; still spoken in their respective regions

Spanish was introduced to new countries across the Atlantic from Spain thanks to Spanish explorers in the 16th and 17th centuries; the language spread quickly throughout America and the Caribbean. 

Spanish, along with other Latin languages like French, Italian and Portuguese, is one of the Romance languages. At the heart of the language, Spanish has gained many of its rules of grammar and syntax from Latin. As well as having Latin influences, Spanish has also derived some influences from Greek, Arabic and the native cultures of America. This has all become part of what we know today as the modern Spanish language.

¿Es muy interesante, sí? If you’ve studied the Latin language before, then why not try learning Spanish at Battersea Spanish? We offer a range of different Spanish courses from beginner to advanced Spanish conversation!

Nowadays, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world after Mandarin. Today, there are more than 577 million speakers across the world, which is equivalent to 7.6% of the global population! Spanish is an official language for around 20 countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. These countries are extremely popular destinations amongst tourists and travellers alike, so make sure to brush up on your Spanish skills when visiting to really make a lasting impression!

At Battersea Spanish, we love learning more about different Spanish speaking country’s culture, which is why we host Spanish film nights and Spanish club, to mix other mediums with language learning. If you don’t mind watching movies as your homework, then contact us.