Spanish Language: Origin, Development, and Historical Stages
Origin and Development of the Spanish Language
The main stages in the formation of the Spanish language are:
1) From Source to Romance Languages
All languages spoken in Spain, except Basque, originate from Latin. However, they also have superstrate features consisting of pre-Roman languages.
2) Pre-Roman Languages
Before the arrival of the Romans, there was no linguistic unity in the Iberian Peninsula. Various peoples lived there, including:
- Celtic peoples in the north and west
- Iberians in the south and east
- Celtiberians in the center
- Basques
Greek, Phoenician, and Carthaginian colonies populated the coast. With the arrival of the Romans, all these languages disappeared except Euskera (Basque), although some words of pre-Roman origin were retained.
3) Romanization
The Romans landed in 218 BC, bringing their culture, customs, and laws. Latin was assimilated in a process called Romanization. The language spoken on the peninsula was a product of the fusion of Vulgar Latin and substrates of pre-Roman languages.
4) Invasions
After the fall of the Roman Empire, northern villages invaded the Iberian Peninsula. The Visigoths were notable, bringing mainland culture, although their influence mainly left marks in the lexicon and onomastics. In 711, the Arab invasion occurred, leaving many words but no significant impact on syntax or phonetics.
5) The Reconquista
After the Arab invasion, Christian kingdoms took refuge in the north. From there, they expanded southward. The Christian kingdoms spoke Galician-Portuguese, Aragonese, Asturian-Leonese, etc., from west to east. Arab territory mostly used Mozarabic. Castilian, a dialect of Latin, spread more because the Kingdom of Castile was the most expansionist. Castilian is one of the most innovative dialects, with features such as:
- Voicing of intervocalic consonants
- Diphthongization of short vowels (ue and ie) in open syllables (e.g., puerta from Latin porta)
- Transformation of the initial f- to h- (e.g., harina from Latin farina)
- Palatalization of consonant clusters (e.g., llama from Latin flamma)
6) Expansion of Castilian During the Golden Age
The unstoppable expansion of Castile occurred from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Spanish gained most of their territory from Granada. The spread of Castilian limited the expansion of Asturias, Navarre, and Aragon. From the 13th and 14th centuries, Aragonese and Leonese were considered part of the Castilian language and culture. Alfonso X’s contribution was essential for the expansion of Castilian. In the 15th century, the Catholic Monarchs united Spain under their rule, and Castilian became the official Spanish language. Nebrija’s grammar and Valdés’s language dialogue helped fix and upgrade Spanish. From the 16th century, Spain became an empire, and its language expanded worldwide, especially in America. The prestige and vitality of Spanish increased due to the Spanish Golden Age.
7) From the New Plant Decrees to the Present Day (18th Century)
The Bourbons imposed Castilian as the sole language of administration. Catalan was relegated to family use. The new decrees aimed to fix and give splendor to Spanish, including:
- Replacement of the initial h- (e.g., había from Latin habēre)
- Replacement of b/v (etymological)
- Suppression of the -x- (e.g., in Mexico, México is pronounced Méjico)
In the 19th century, Romanticism led to a movement of language retrieval for other languages of Spain. Despite establishing Castilian as a unique language, the restoration recognizes the plurality of Spain.