Language and Dialects of Spain

Posted on Oct 1, 2024 in Latin

Language and Dialects

Definitions

Language: The communication tool used by speakers of a community and considered an essential part of their culture.

Dialect: A local or regional variety of a language that may or may not become integrated into the standard language.

Substrate: A language replaced entirely by a more dominant language, but which leaves influences on the new language.

Superstrate: A language that influences another due to a superior position.

Adstratum: Different languages that coexist and influence one another.

Bilingualism and Diglossia

Bilingualism: A natural way of life for many people, although in many territories only one language is officially recognized.

Diglossia: The coexistence of two languages, each serving a different social function.

Languages of Spain

Spain is home to Castilian (Spanish), Catalan, Basque, and Galician. These co-official languages are recognized alongside Castilian in their respective territories: Catalan in Catalonia, Valencian Community, and the Balearic Islands; Basque in the Basque Country and parts of Navarre; and Galician in Galicia.

Geographic Varieties of Spanish

Geographic varieties prevent language uniformity. To avoid fragmentation, an international standard is used, corresponding to the linguistic model understood by any community of speakers. This standard dictates what is correct and incorrect, and there is no single standard. Spanish varieties can be distinguished in southern, northern, and bilingual areas. Some varieties are considered transitional as they present different features.

Southern Spanish Varieties

Among the southern varieties are Andalusian, Extremaduran, Murcian, and Canarian. Common linguistic features include:

  1. Thistle (cardo) – Broth (caldo)
  2. Keychain (llavero) – Keyring (anilla)
  3. Ereh – Are (son)
  4. Reláhate – Relax (relájate)
  5. Jarta – Fed up (harta)
  6. Calo – Heat (calor)

Andalusian is the most distinct of the southern varieties. Besides the aforementioned features, it also has:

  1. Ceceo and seseo
  2. Loss of final ‘d’ (cansado – cansao)
  3. Relaxation in the pronunciation of ‘ch’ (puchero – puchero)
  4. Distinction between singular and plural (la(s) casa(s))

Andalusian can be divided into two zones: western (Huelva, Cadiz, Seville, Cordoba, Malaga) and eastern (Jaén, Granada, Almeria).

Judeo-Spanish

Also known as Ladino, it’s a dialect of Old Castilian spoken by Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. Today, it’s spoken in scattered communities worldwide (Turkey, Egypt, Israel).

Spanglish

A mix of English and Spanish arising from language interaction in the southern U.S. It involves a symbiosis of both languages in their phonetic, grammatical, and lexical aspects.

Characteristics of Current Spanish

Current Spanish has the following characteristics:

  • Indigenous peculiarities and cultural variety affecting lexicon and sound
  • Gradual disappearance of rural lexicon
  • Adoption of neologisms from other languages, particularly English
  • General trend towards regional dialects
  • Disregard for correct language use
  • Influence of media and new technologies

Juan Ramón Jiménez

Born in Moguer (Huelva), Jiménez moved to Madrid in 1900. After his father’s death, he suffered severe depression. In 1916, he married Zenobia Camprubí. During the Spanish Civil War, he went into exile. He received the Nobel Prize in 1956 and died two years later. His poetry evolved through several stages: simple, modernist, a new simplicity, and finally, naked poetry. Later, he simplified these stages to sensory, intellectual, and true. By 1932, he rejected marked rhythms, cultivated verse, and overly bright language, opting for a conversational tone. Platero and I belongs to his sensitive stage.

Antonio Machado

Born in Seville, Machado worked in Paris. He moved to Soria in 1907 and married Leonor Izquierdo. After her death, he lived in Baeza and Segovia. His poetry began under the influence of modernism but evolved into a more personal style. His works explore themes of memory, time, solitude, and love. His later works reflect on the Castilian landscape, the decline of Spain, and human nature.

Generation of ’27

In the 1920s, a group of poets, including Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Rafael Alberti, Federico García Lorca, Luis Cernuda, Vicente Aleixandre, Gerardo Diego, and Dámaso Alonso, brought a period of splendor to Spanish poetry. Their styles varied, but they shared some common traits, including a search for pure poetry, the influence of surrealism, and the impact of the Spanish Civil War.

Literary Figures and Movements

This section discusses various literary figures and movements, including Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and the avant-garde in Spain. It also covers figures of speech like overlap, onomatopoeia, and hyperbaton.

18th and 19th Century Literature

This section provides an overview of 18th and 19th-century Spanish literature, including prose, poetry, and theater. Key authors and works are mentioned, along with the characteristics of each period, such as Romanticism and Realism.