Picking up a bit of Spanish isn’t as simple as learning just one language. With four distinct official languages and many dialects, it’s important to know what to expect if you’re making the move.
The fact that Spain has four official languages may come as a surprise to outsiders, but this is new Spain; a democratised, devolved land. Throw in a bundle of regional dialects and the linguistic map becomes increasingly complex, and increasingly diverse.
A considerable proportion of the world greets each new day with a breathy hola. Only Mandarin Chinese claims significantly more patrons. Indeed, with language, Spain has its hardest evidence of a once vast empire – most of the world’s Spanish speakers (over 350 million use it as a first language) live in South and Central America. These New World converts actually refer to their language as Castellano rather than Spanish, acknowledging that Spain’s national tongue came from Castile. Perhaps surprisingly, despite such long distance devotion, in Spain itself a quarter of the population proudly speak alternative, officially sanctioned languages.
Where did the Spanish language come from?
Spanish has strong Latin roots. Romans brought vulgar Latin to the peninsula, usurping a mix of Celtic, Iberian, Greek and Phoenician languages but borrowing the odd word as they went. When the Romans left, the Iberians fragmented their Latin into various regional Romance languages. Castile’s role in the Reconquista and, later, building an empire ensured that its version was taken up as the national tongue.
Most Spanish words with ‘al’ on the front – aldea (village), alcoba (bedroom), alcázar (palace) – have Moorish ancestry. Words used for food and drink, including arroz (rice), naranja (orange) and albaricoque (apricot), have found their way through, as have many of the Moorish terms used in their specialist subjects, science and maths. In all, around 4,000 Spanish words have Arabic origins. However, despite the length of occupation, the Moorish language never actually outpaced Latin.
Spain’s other main languages
Modern Spain has three official minority languages: Galician (Galego), Catalan (Catalá) and Basque (Euskera). Under Franco they were effectively banned, suppressed amid the quest for a sole, national identity. But many people maintained their native tongue at home, and with devolution in the early 1980s all three languages surfaced in rude health. Each has its own newspapers and TV channels, is taught in schools and used in the respective regional parliament.
Spanish dialects
Spain shelters a wealth of dialects. Valenciano always stirs debate: many users insist it’s a distinct language, while much of the nation deems it a dialect of Catalan. Murcia (Murciano) and Extremadura (Extremeño) both have their variants on Castilian, while Andalucía (Andaluz), with its Moorish twang, does most to mangle the national tongue – they’re famous for shortening any word they can, dropping letters and syllables at will. Conversely, the best enunciation of Castilian is apparently found in and around Valladolid.
What are the Spanish actually like?
Under Franco the Spanish had a reputation for being surly, but then who could blame them? Today,
in line with the country’s transformation, they’re renowned for living life to the full, for a joie de vivre that can spill into hedonism. Having spent decades going through the wringer, they now take any available opportunity, notably fiestas, to have a good time. The idea that most Spaniards procrastinate, that mañana rules, is misplaced – they just have other priorities, most notably family over work. It is true, however, that most Spanish people are inherently laid back.
They love to talk, and will happily do so with strangers, lacking the reticence of more northern Europeans. They’ll stand closer, touch you more and maintain greater eye contact. They’re also more likely to talk to you frankly about sex than Brits without sweating. Spanish people also pride themselves on being articulate, albeit with a liking for inventive and filthy swearing. Gregarious and sociable, the Spanish are at their happiest in groups, from family to friends and the mass gatherings of the fiesta. Their natural exuberance, particularly when conversation is flowing, can appear confrontational, but it’s usually more about posturing than genuine anger or aggression.
How do the Spanish talk?
Any foreigner with a stumbling grasp of Spanish will confirm that native speakers can talk at alarming speed. And while subtle regional habits clearly exist (meseta folk can be more reticent than Andalucíans, for example), it seems the Spanish are more conversationally comfortable than northern Europeans once any ice has been broken. Similarly, they’re more inclined to use expressive hand gestures and to make sustained eye contact. Interruption is another accepted part of conversation – taken not as an affront but as proof of interest in the debate.
The use of swear words
The Spanish swear a lot. The rather casual use of foul, abusive language doesn’t carry quite the same consequences that it might in other countries. The connotation is often sexual, occasionally washed down with a splash of blasphemy, but usually taken lightly. Camilo José Cela, a giant of 20th century Spanish literature, even published a double volume book of commonly used obscenities, the Diccionario Secreto, as remarkable for its scale as its lewdness.
The right tone of voice
When the Spanish talk, often the only variation between a statement and a question or exclamation is in the tone of voice used – there’s no grammatical change. Therefore, written Spanish uses inverted question and exclamation marks at the start of a sentence to clarify the speaker’s intent for the reader. For example: ¿We are going to the beach?
What is the Spanish sense of humour like?
Spanish people like a laugh. They don’t really do subtle, understated humour, so the sarcastic asides of the British or witty wordplays of the French will go down like a broken lift. Irony and satire are popular, but in general their humour tends to hit you in the face. Often ribald, frequently un-PC – some might say chauvinistic – and of the punchline variety, Spanish humour, like so many things in Spain, is best enjoyed as a group activity.
From Speak the Culture: Spain, £12.99, Thorogood
