Curiosities about Spanish
Spanish is one of the most important languages in the world. It is ranked as number 4 between the most spoken languages in the world, with a total of 534 million speakers. Like other languages, it has many singularities and oddities. Therefore, today we are going to tell you some curiosities about Spanish.
1. Also known as Castilian
Castilian owes its name to Castile, its region of origin. Therefore, there are many inhabitants of Iberian Peninsula and Latin America who refer to the Spanish language as Castilian.
2. In the past it was known as "Christian"
Castilian was also known as Christian. This was a consequence of the different cultures that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages. Castilian began to be called Christian to differentiate people who spoke Spanish from those who used Arabic languages.
3. It is spoken all over the world
Spanish is spoken mostly in America and Europe. But the truth is that it is also the official language in countries of the 5 continents:
– Europe: in Spain.
– America: in all Central and South American countries, except for Brazil. In addition, in in the United States of America, there are 63 million Spanish speakers.
– Africa: in Ceuta and Melilla, also in the Canary Islands, Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara.
– Oceania: on Pascua Island, Polynesia.
– Antarctica: in the Argentine city of Fortín Sargento Cabral and in the Chilean city of Villa La Estrella.
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4. Many words have Arabic origin
About 4.000 words in Spanish (8% of the entire language) have Arabic origin. This is due to the long Arab domination of Spain that lasted almost 8 centuries. To this day, these words remain established in the language and are used in the everyday of the speakers.
5. The first Spanish grammar dates from 1492
The first Spanish grammar was created by Elio Antonio De Nebrija and published in 1492. However, Spanish was established as an official language in the thirteenth century by King Alfonso. With this first grammar, the structure and pronunciation of the Spanish language was consolidated.
6. The first official document
Although it seems like a joke, the first official document in Spanish is a shopping list! It is a list of provisions and deliveries of cheeses that a monk in the year 956 wrote for the convent San Justo and San Pastor in La Rozuela.
7. It's the fastest spoken language
If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting Spain, you would have been able to check the fluidity of the language. This is because an average speaker can pronounce 1 syllable per second, which makes Spanish the fastest language in the world. The greater the number of syllables pronounced per second, the faster language.
These are some of the curiosities about Spanish that we bring you today. If you are Interested in discovering or learning this fantastic language, our academy is the best place! For more information call us at +34 625 54 29 79 or visit our website.