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History of Spanish language

The Spanish family tree

Have you ever looked through your family album? Have you looked for information about your ancestors, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents? Did you know that when we talk about languages, ​​we can also refer to families – not just any kind of family, but linguistic families? For example, suppose we pay attention to the words agua, acqua and água (from Castilian, Italian and Portuguese, respectively). In that case, we will see that the similarities are evident, so it is possible to establish kinship ties. These three languages ​​are sisters since they have the exact origin in Latin. Now, let’s follow the traces of the past to understand the linguistic family tree of Castilian.

Spanish (or Castilian) belongs to the Indo-European language family, part of the Italic branch. Italic languages ​​include Latin and other extinct languages ​​spoken in the Italian peninsula (such as Oscan, Umbrian, Sabine, Faliscan and Sicilian).

The languages ​​that are direct descendants of Latin are the so-called Romance languages. These languages ​​, which evolved from Vulgar Latin, are the only ones in the Italic family that survived the fall of the Roman Empire. There is a rich diversity within the Romance languages, including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Catalan-Valencian, Galician, Sicilian, Aragonese, and Leonese. The list is long, with over twenty known Romance languages, each with its unique history and characteristics, although many are seriously threatened. The survival of these languages is a testament to their resilience and the richness of human linguistic diversity.

Latin and its sisters

If Latin is the mother of Spanish, Indo-European would be the grandfather language, although there are no written records. The sister languages ​​of Latin would be Proto-Celtic, Proto-Germanic, and Proto-Balto-Slavic, among others. From the Balto-Slavic languages ​​derived Polish, Serbian, Russian, and Bulgarian. From Proto-Germanic comes English and German, but also Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian. From Proto-Celtic come Irish, Welsh, and Breton.

It is a richly complex tapestry of linguistic relationships, and I’ve only given you a glimpse. This should give you a sense of ​​human language’s dynamic and intricate nature. Languages ​​are like subsystems, constantly interacting and evolving.

The future of language

As you can see, languages ​​are constantly changing and evolving. Going from Indo-European to Latin, then from Latin to Vulgar Latin, to arrive at the development of Castilian as the language we know today has taken time. Perhaps it is too soon to say, but certain linguistic elements lead us to suspect that Castilian could eventually be the mother language of a new branch of children that grows little by little in such a way that in the future, they could mature until they become independent. So, perhaps names like Extremaduran, Canarian, Rioplatense, Chilean or Andalusian could be some of these new children of Spanish. Maybe it could happen.

Changes happen much faster than we imagine. Can you think of any way in which you have modified your language? Maybe you have your language with friends or a partner. If that is the case, imagine now that this language game reaches a larger group and becomes a common expression within your town or city. That is already a linguistic identity trait of a cultural group.

These changes, though subtle, can grow and be adopted by a larger social group, much like the tide that rises and falls without our immediate notice. It’s crucial to be mindful, as language is a dynamic system, and you play a significant role in the changes that occur within it.

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Categories
History of Spanish language

Origins of seseo

One of the characteristics shared by the variants of Spanish spoken in America which differentiates it from the Spanish spoken in the Iberian Peninsula is the absence of the zeta /z/ sound. Although Spanish variants spoken on the American continent differ, they have one characteristic in common. In none of them is a distinction made between pronouncing the letters s, c and z. They are all pronounced as /s/.

Among the many characteristics of Spanish variants are those who distinguish the sounds of s, c, and z, those who lisp, and those who wish. Those who pronounce these three letters as a /z/ and those who pronounce them all as an /s/.

One of the key distinguishing features of Spanish variants is the pronunciation of the sounds of s, c, and z. Some pronounce these three letters as a /z/(ceceo), while others pronounce them as an /s/ (seseo). This contrast in pronunciation is a fascinating aspect of the linguistic diversity within the Spanish language.

In a scenario where 67% of the world’s population speaks Spanish (see Spanish dialects around the world), it is significant to highlight that – although seseo is strange in Spain – it is today the majority variant of Spanish since more than ninety per cent of those who speak it, they mean. Let’s see, then, where its origins go back.

Columbus and the Conquest of America

Some say that the sound of the zeta became extinct in America, but the truth is that it never embarked on the continent. When Christopher Columbus travelled to America in 1492, he accompanied a majority crew from Andalusia, especially from Seville. They pronounced (and still pronounce) all words that contain s, c, and z as /s/.

The Canary Islands were colonised almost simultaneously with the American continent, marking the beginning of a significant historical era. Christopher Columbus’s route in 1492 was pivotal: He departed from the Port of Palos in Huelva, heading to Gran Canaria. This journey established a commercial route that would link Seville, the Canary Islands, and America, playing a crucial role in shaping the history of these regions.

At the time of the conquest of America, in the south of Spain, the pronunciation of the zeta was related to the Muslims converted to Christianity from the Kingdom of Granada (Moors) and symbolised the lower class, making Seville opt for the seseo. In contrast, Granada, the last Muslim stronghold of the time, loses the /s/ sound and acquires the tendency to lisp excessively.

Therefore, the seseo of the Canary Islands and America can be traced back to Seville. As we mentioned, the crew that sailed with Columbus was predominantly from Andalusia, with over 37% of the crew members hailing from Seville. This geographical and historical connection was crucial in spreading the seseo to the new territories.

The spoken language was that of Seville, but the court marked the written language. In Castile, a distinction was made between the pronunciation of /s/ and /z/; therefore, the language was not simplified in terms of its writing. America varied in its pronunciation, but the spelling rules remained the same as those established by the Castilian crown.

And this is how we arrived at the current situation, where in the Canary Islands, the region of Andalusia, and throughout the American continent where Spanish is spoken, the use of ‘seseo’ is a testament to the rich diversity of Spanish pronunciation. In the rest of Spain, the distinction between/s/and/z/sounds is maintained, and in areas of southern Spain such as Málaga, Granada and Cádiz, ‘ceceo’ is prevalent, adding to the appreciation of the language’s variety.

In the 19th century, attempts were made to introduce the differentiating sound of /z/ in America. Still, modifying a phonetic habit passed down through generations for more than four centuries is tough.

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