Notes on the History of the Spanish Language

Introduction

  • Time-line of Spanish History: An overview of significant events from the Roman conquest of Spain (218 BC) to the establishment of a modern state in the late 20th century.

1.1 Indo-European, Latin, and Romance

  • Familial Relations: Spanish is a member of the Indo-European language family, descending from Latin, which underwent significant evolution through different dialects in the Roman Empire.
  • Evolution of Latin: Latin's spread from Rome led to the emergence of a range of dialects known as Romance languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and Romanian.
  • Not Uniform: Historical considerations of Latin reveal a wide range of dialects and accents that were inherent in its use across the Empire.

1.2 The Latin of Spain

  • Romanization: Latin's introduction to Spain began with Roman military and colonization efforts (starting 218 BC), with a gradual transition from bilingualism to Latin hegemony among the local populations.
  • Characteristics of Spanish Latin: Features derived from early Latin suggest some areas retain older forms that have since disappeared in the mainstream Latin spoken in Rome.
  • Archaisms: Certain words and forms in Spanish show retention of features from earlier Latin phases, which were abandoned elsewhere (e.g., Sp. cueva from earlier forms not seen in later Latin).
  • Conservatism: Spanish preserves many elements that disappeared from Latin spoken in other parts of the Empire, especially in terms of vocabulary.
  • Dialectal Influences: Bilingual interactions with Oscan and Umbrian languages likely resulted in unique phonological changes in the Latin spoken in Spain.
  • Innovations: Spanish demonstrates some unique innovations not found in other Romance languages, illustrating its distinct evolutionary path.

1.3 Conquest and Reconquest

  • Visigoths (5th - 8th centuries): Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the Visigoths maintained control yet largely assimilated to the Latin spoken by the majority of the population, leading to limited influence on the Latin spoken in Spain,
  • Islamic Invasion: The Moors invaded in 711, significantly impacting the language landscape through lexical borrowing and dialectal shifts, leading to rich influences on both vocabulary and syntax.
  • Multilingualism: The interaction between Christian and Muslim populations allowed for a complex layering of languages and dialects in various regions of Spain.

1.4 Standard Spanish

  • Alfonso X (1252-1284): This king was pivotal in developing a standardized form of Spanish, moving away from the diverse dialects to establish a more unified national identity for the Spanish language.
  • Literature and Governance: The scholarly work produced under his reign, alongside reforms promoting the use of Castilian over Latin, standardized the language for both literary and administrative purposes.