What came first Spanish?

What came first Spanish?

Spanish originated in the Iberian Peninsula as a dialect of spoken Latin, which is today called “Vulgar Latin,” as opposed to the Classical Latin used in literature. The dialect of Spanish that we consider dominant in Europe is called Castellano or Castilian Spanish.

What language did Spain speak before Latin?

The history of the Spanish language in Spain and the origin of the dialects of Spain begin with the linguistic evolution of Vulgar Latin. The Spanish Language can be traced back to the Indo-European language family. Around 2000 years before the birth of Christ, Celtiberians spoke an early Celtic language.

Who came first the Spanish or the English?

I’d dare say that Spanish, as a spoken language probably were intelligible to a Modern Spanish speaker a few hundred years prior to the first Spanish words being put on paper, meaning that spoken Spanish is actually older than spoken English.

Was Italian or Spanish first?

Spanish came first. The Spanish language is really Vulgate Latin, spoken by the lower classes in Rome as far back as the days of Cicero and Julius Caesar. Neither of these two men, or any educated Roman, would be likely to understand this dialect, or care to.

What is the original name of the Spanish language?

The standard Spanish language is also called Castilian in its original variant, and in order to distinguish it from other languages native to parts of Spain, such as Galician, Catalan, Basque, etc. In its earliest documented form, and up through approximately the 15th century, the language is customarily called Old Spanish.

How many countries speak Spanish as a first language?

Spanish language, Romance language (Indo-European family) spoken as a first language by some 360 million people worldwide. In the early 21st century, Mexico had the greatest number of speakers, followed by Colombia, Argentina, the United States, and Spain. It is an official language of more than 20 countries.

Why is the history of the Spanish language important?

The History of the Spanish Language. As anything that’s been around for 1,500+ years does, the Spanish language has a rich and complicated history. It has navigated the rise and fall of great empires, has been a symbol of cultural identity, and has both been used as a tool of unity and caused considerable divisiveness.

What was the first ever text written in Spanish?

The first texts in Spanish consist of scattered words glossing two Latin texts of the 10th century, one from Rioja and the other from Castile; the language in the two documents shows few dialect differences. Another document, written about 980, seems to be Leonese in character.