Dec 16, 2016
In several regions in Spain people speak different languages Everybody knows that people in Spain speak Spanish. But is this really true? When you are going to travel to Barcelona, Bilbao or Santiago de Compostela you will quickly notice, that people do not speak “Spanish” at all. And there is an easy explanation for it: Spain has several official languages. The Castilian, the official language of Spain What we refer to and consider as “Spanish language” is actually called Castilian (in Spanish “Castellano”). It is spoken in whole Spain as well as in South America. It belongs to the Roman languages and has gained high importance in the 18th century thanks to historic and socio-economic developments. From there the modern Spanish evolved and people still relate to it as Castilian. Today 100% of all Spaniards command it as first or second language, however there is a very small percentage of people, who do not use it in their daily life. Spain declared Castilian – or “Spanish” – as official language for the whole country and 19 countries in South America did so as well. It is also declared standard language in all public media and bureaucracy, which is supported by the The Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy or RAE). So, when you learn Spanish, you will in fact study Castilian Spanish. And this is why you will surely question your Spanish skills when travelling to certain areas in Spain. Because you will think that you are well prepared, but suddenly local people talk to you in a completely different language...
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