Evolution of Castilian Spanish: History, Influence, and Current Status
Castilian Developments Through Time
King Alfonso X, “the Wise,” unintentionally gave a great impetus to Castilian. Although he favored Galician, he wrote “the Cantigas to Mary” in Castilian. He promoted the Toledo School of Translation, which aimed to translate scientific knowledge from Semitic languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic) into Latin. However, a double translation was necessary: first into Castilian, then into Latin. This process introduced new terms into Castilian and necessitated the creation of conjunctions and prepositions to link syntactic phrases.
The vocabulary was also enriched, with mathematical terms of Arab and Greek origin. In the fifteenth century, Castilian underwent phonological reduction, decreasing the number of consonants. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw significant Italian influence, with musical terms like “piano” and “sonnet” entering the language. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Gallicisms became fashionable. The twentieth century saw a rise in Gallicisms, especially after World War II, followed by American influence due to European recovery plans.
The State of Castilian in Spain
Castilian is the official language of Spain, as stated in Article 3 of the Constitution, which grants all Spaniards the right to know and use it. The state is obligated to teach Spanish to all citizens. This has been a point of contention, as some autonomous communities have attempted to prioritize their own languages. Article 3 also recognizes other languages, but the state does not officially recognize them, although business communities do. In 1979, Catalonia and the Basque Country were the first to establish their own language statutes.
The Catalan statute states that Catalans have a duty to know Catalan and the right to use it, which was appealed by the state. Galicia and Navarra followed with their own rules. Even Castilla y León has prepared its own section on language use. There is also attention to the defense of Leonese and the use of Galician in certain areas. After the statutes of autonomy, communities enacted laws governing language use in administration, communication, and education, leading to different education systems. In Catalonia, since 1982, teaching is entirely in Catalan. Galicia and Euskadi use a bilingual model. In Navarra and Valencia, language use is territorially bounded. Language standardization laws govern the use of native languages in connection with the administration. Overall, this is the language policy taking place in Spain.
The State of Castilian Abroad
Similar to Rome, Spain imposed its language in America, eliminating pre-Columbian languages. Guaraní is the only known official indigenous language. Until the reign of Charles III, the Spanish crown mandated the learning of Spanish. He forced priests to evangelize in Castilian.