History of Spanish in Latin America
Spanish originated in the Iberian Peninsula as a mixture of Vulgar Latin; a mixture of Classical Latin and the pre-Roman languages of the peninsula which include Celt, Iberian, and Carthaginian; and Mozarabic, a form of Arabic spoken by the Moors that conquered the Iberian Peninsula (Accredited Language Services.) The standardization of Spanish began in the 1200s when King Alfonso X of Castile and Leon adopted the city of Toledo as his base of activity and his scholars began writing and translating documents into Castilian Spanish (Snow, 2014.)
During the Age of Exploration and Colonialism, Spanish came to the Americas when explorers, who sought to find gold and other riches, and the Church, who sought to
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Some of the main differences between the Spanish dialect of the Americas and Castilian Spanish is the pronunciation of S/C/Z as a th sound in Spain and as an English s in Latin America known as seseo, the common use of Anglicisms and Native words in Latin America, a difference in the ll and y sounds in Spain known as yeísmo, the casual use of Usted and Tu in Latin America and the use of Vos in Spain, the exception being Rioplatense which uses Vos casually, and the incorrect use of Le in Spain (nickthomev.) Mexican Spanish Mexican Spanish is often considered to be one of the “clearest” Latin American dialects. With its strong pronunciation of consonants, the use of tu rather than vos, and the vast amounts of slang and Anglicism in use around the country (Lingoda, 2016.) Another distinctive trait in Mexican Spanish is the “sing-song” quality left behind from the indigenous languages, this means that tone plays an important role in spoken language (donquijote.org.) There is some linguistic variation across Mexico, with the Spanish spoken in the state of Oaxaca and the Yucatan peninsula is vastly different from the Spanish in cities like Tijuana in the north
many rules and accents. Spanish feels heartfelt and engaging; encouraging when we speak it and
From 711-1492, Christian Spaniards lived under Moorish rule until eventually, the Christian Kingdoms took over during the Reconquista. The conflicts between the Muslims and Christians created a militaristic culture in Spain that surpassed that of any other European nation. Furthermore, being trained militarily was often exclusively attributed to the nobility however, in Spain, “many young men knew these skills and used them to their advantage.” Without a doubt, recently reconquering their homeland motivated the Spanish to a basis for expansion and conquest that most other European societies were lacking. In addition, the voyages of Christopher Columbus led to discovering the New World which undoubtedly contributed to added interest in conquest. Eventually, each conquest further raised Spanish hopes for fame and
Personally, as I read this book I had a mindset of a Latin accent, and with the knowledge I have of the Spanish language, I know that many times in the speech process, things aren’t as direct or presented as in English speech.
The Spanish and English cultures were scarcely similar and notably different because of the interaction with indigenous people and the timing in which the interactions occurred. The Spanish and English were very different in how they interacted with the indigenous people. The Spanish main reason for coming to North America was to spread Catholicism. In the Catholic church if two people were both Catholic then the two people would receive the sacrament of marriage. After marriage the two would create a Catholic of their own. This had created 5 new races of people. The races of humanity was then looked at as social classes. The highest social class was a full white European, then a mestizos, which was a someone who was European and an Indian, followed by Indians, African slaves, and lastly a Zambos,
The first item is the language. Not very Hispanic speaks English. This is due to their parents not teaching or wanting them to talk Spanish. Some people prefer to communicate in a native language around family members while some speak Spanish accurately and other don’t! Some parents may communicate with their children in Spanish or English. It’s best to tell someone what language you speak that way they won’t mistake someone
Geographic luck explains the reason for why Spain was able to concur Latin America. Spain is located in the Middle East, and is within the fertile crescent. This meaning, that Spain had the advantage over the natives. The Spaniards had access to steel and horses. The natives' bronze weapons were no match for the steel swords of Spain. Fighting on horses gave the advantage of being able to fight at all angles and being high of the ground. In result, they were able to easily win against the natives in battle. Soon enough, Spain was able to concur Latin America. The Spaniards created an opinion of the natives after arriving, that later caused conflict.
Spanish armies had a taste for conquest. ”It has been argued that after 750 years of fighting against the "infidel," the Spanish were psychologically committed to "conquest" but needed new territories. Christopher Columbus, who set sail in 1492, who may have witnessed the Fall of Granada, may have thought that in the East (which he thought he would reach by sailing West which of course he would have done if he had not stopped on the way) he would find the legendary Prester John, and persuade him to attack the Muslim world from the East while European Christians did so from the West.[9] Instead leading the Spanish to the Americas, Columbus set in motion the Spanish conquest of what they called the New World. There, fresh from defeating the Muslims as crusaders for Christ, with "sword in one hand and Bible in the other" they "arrived like thunderbolts among the unsuspecting native population." What followed has been described as cultural genocide, "the Spanish robbed the Indians of their language, their culture and their dignity."[10] 1492 changed the history of the world.”750 years of war would leave a desire for conquest in your mouth so it is easy to see why the Spanish would want to conquer more. Spanish conquest of the new world can be seen as good and bad, depending on who you are it can be because what they did was basically genocide, it could also be classified as good because they
Language is an important value for the nationalistic identity of a nation. Hispanic culture is the way of life of people from Latin America and Spain, and their main identifying factor is the fact that they speak Spanish as their main language. Therefore, Hispanics are not necessarily Spaniards but other groups like Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans who speak Spanish are also part of this group (Shaw and Dennison 207). American culture on the other hand is mainly comprised of the people who speak English as their main dialect. Therefore, the Spaniards have Spanish as their native language while the Americans use Englis...
Since thanksgiving is coming up, I’ve been reflecting on the things I’m thankful for that I don't thank often enough. One of those things is you. I'm very glad I had you in Spanish for both sixth and seventh grade because you really brought out my love of Spanish. I never thought I had it in me to learn another language but with your help I got an amazing start with Spanish. You always encouraged us students to learn Spanish so that we could actually know it, not just to get our worksheets done. Your Spanish classes have motivated me to continue learning Spanish even after high school.
communication in the “real world.” It wasn’t the difference of Spanish and English, it was the
The Spaniards arrived at the Americas prior to the English. The Spanish mainly wanted to explore in the first place because after the Black Death, the population increased, and thus, so did the frequency of commerce. There was a sudden new interest in new products and the new strong monarchs who sponsored the journeys wanted to be more affluent. Therefore, explorers such as Christopher Columbus attempted to go west to target Asia. However, he ended up on Cuba and called the natives Indians. The Spanish soon started to consider the Americas less of a blockage and could now see it as a source of resources. In 1518, Cortes arrived into Mexico with his group of conquistadors, or conquerors, which is a proper name because the men after gold exterminated native areas using their military skills, brutality and greed to turn the Southern America into a vast Spanish empire. The smallpox the Spanish unknowingly carried also helped wipe many people out. When they saw the religious ceremonies of the Aztecs that produced many skulls, they thought of these people as savages and not entirely human. This of coarse was quite hypocritical because the Spanish have killed before during the Inquisition for their faith. It was this contempt that made them think it was all right to slaughter the natives. Spanish colonies were established when conquistadors had gotten a license to finance the expedition from the crown to fixture encomiendas. These encomiendas were basically Indian villages that became a source of labor. The Spanish dreamed of becoming wealthier from South America, but they also wanted a profitable agricultural economy and to spread their Catholic religion (the Pueblo Indians converted to Christianity), which became very important in the 1540s.
First, the speakers of this language often use gestures in their conversations with others (USRA, 2010). It is a weakness because not many people are familiar or comfortable with the pattern and, therefore, many people find it difficult to communicate with Hispanic Americans. Secondly, the normal range of their voice pitch is normally narrow, and many usually mistake this for shyness. The pattern of this language always makes the Hispanic Americans believe that others like European Americans are arrogant because they speak loudly, and their voice pitch is not as narrow as the Hispanic Americans. The pattern of communication has made this particular group of people believe that others especially the European Americans are yelling at them and it often make them not comfortable in their conversation with other people who are not Hispanic Americans.
Mariachi is a type of folk music in Mexico. It is usually performed in an ensemble at weddings and other celebrations. Mariachi is generally composed of string instruments along with a few woodwinds. Mariachi originally was thought to come from the French word for marriage, but now linguists believe that it came from Spanish for a certain wood tree used as a dancing platform.
The fact that different European countries colonized Mexico and Brazil is most noticeable today in the languages of the countries. The languages of Brazil and Mexico are different. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese (Microsoft Encarta). The major language of Mexico is Spanish. Some Amerindian languages do survive in both of these countries. In Mexico the use of Amerindian languages is more common than in Brazil. Eighty percent of the people who speak Amerindian languages in Mexico also speak Spanish (Camp). The Portuguese language as spoken in Brazil is colored by many words and phrases from native and immigrant languages. Cities in the southern parts of Brazil have population...