Evolution of the Spanish Language: From Latin Origins to Modern Varieties
Unit 2: The Spanish Language: Origins and Variety Development
Origins
- Pre-Roman Languages: Before the Romans, there was no linguistic unity. Different peoples coexisted: Vascones (northern Pyrenees to Ebro), Celts (north and west), Iberians (east), Celtiberians (center), and colonies of Greeks, Phoenicians, etc. (coasts).
- Romanization: Romans occupied the peninsula from 218 BC, imposing their language. All pre-Roman languages were lost except for Basque. A less complex, vulgar Latin was used.
- The Visigoths: Largely preserved Latin but introduced Germanic words (many warrior terms).
- The Arabs: Latin deteriorated, and Arabic words entered fields like medicine, math, agriculture, etc. (e.g., algorithm, artichoke, pillow, alcohol).
- Romance Languages: Barbarian invasions fragmented Latin, giving rise to Romance languages. Christians formed nuclei, developing different dialects: Galician-Portuguese, Leonese, Castilian, Navarrese-Aragonese, Catalan, and Arabic. Basque continued to exist.
Evolution of Castilian
Modern Spanish comes from medieval Castilian, a dialect of Latin, with influences from Basque and other languages. It originated in the Basque region near Burgos and Santander.
Original Features of Castilian Compared to Other Romance Languages
- Loss of initial Latin “f” (facere to hacer).
- Loss of initial unstressed “g” or “j” (gingiva to encía).
- “li” + vowel becomes “j” (mulierem to mujer).
- “ct” and “ult” become “ch” (lectus to lecho, multus to mucho).
- Diphthongization.
- Absence of certain words (oculus to ojo).
- Initial groups “cl,” “fl,” “pl” become “ll” (plovere to llover).
- Sounds of “p,” “t,” “k”.
Establishment of Castilian
- By the late 13th century, spelling and syntax were fixed. The lexicon was enriched by borrowing from neighboring languages.
- The first grammar was written.
Bilingualism and the Constitutional Language
Bilingualism (one language predominates) vs. Diglossia (using more than one dominant language).
Basque (Euskera)
Unique pre-Roman language with unknown origins. Features: 5-vowel system, trilled “r,” no distinction between “b” and “v,” uses “k” for “c” + a, o, u, and uses “k” and “q”.
Catalan
Evolved from Latin. Features: 7-vowel system, no diphthongization of “e” and “o” (terra), loss of final vowels (vent), conservation of initial “f” and “g” (fill), pronunciation of “b” as bilabial and “v” as labiodental, relaxation of “ct” (factum to fet), palatalization of Latin “li” (folia to fulla).
History of Dialects
A dialect is a variation of a language. Navarro-Aragonese and Asturian-Leonese are examples.
Varieties of Spanish
North-Central Peninsular Variety
Uses leísmo, laísmo, loísmo. Loss of intervocalic “d.” Strong pronunciation of final “d” (verdad).
Extremeño
Leonese features, Sevillian influence. Closed “i” and “u” at the end. Survival of aspiration, conservation of “g + e, i” and initial Latin “f” (figo, with aspirated h). Conservation of final “i” (rede). Use of intransitive verbs as transitive (I stayed the book in class). Aspiration of “s.” Yeísmo. Aspiration of “x.” Relaxation, loss, and confusion of final “l” and “r”.
Murciano
Mix of northern and southern Castilian. Loss of implosive “s” and relaxation of the preceding consonant. Confusion of implosive “r” and “l” (alta to arta). Aspiration of /x/. Resistant to yeísmo. Diminutive -ico or -iquio. Opening of the diphthong “ei” to “ai.” Weakness of some final consonants.
Andaluz
Relaxation of final “s.” Aspiration of /x/ (traído to traío). Seseo or ceceo. Relaxation of “ch” and “ll.” Confluence of “tú” and “vos.” Archaic words (paloma for mariposa). Pronouns are often not used.
Canario
Seseo. Confusion between “r” and “l.” Aspiration of /x/. Aspiration of “s.” Pronoun “tú” often replaced by “vos.” Verb “ser” used as personal pronoun. Americanisms (papa for patata). Guanche terms (baifo for goat).
Spanish in America
Phonetic Features
Seseo, yeísmo, aspiration of implosive “s” (asco to ahco). Confusion of implosive “l” and “r.” Aspiration of initial “h”.
Morphosyntactic Features
Vos (for informal “you”). Absence of leísmo. Adverbial use of adjectives. Preference for the preterite (¿Qué hiciste ayer?). Special use of adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions.
Lexical Features
Archaic Spanish words (lindo for bonito), words from Andalusia and the Canary Islands (juma for borrachera), Gallicisms (lienzo for fábrica), Italianisms (chico for niño), Amerindian substrate words (aguacate, patata).
Varieties of Spanish
- Judeo-Spanish or Sephardic: Spoken by Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain.
- U.S. Spanglish.