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Definition: Spanish from Philip's Encyclopedia

Major world language, spoken as an official language in Spain, South America (except Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Surinam), all of Central America, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. It is also spoken in a number of other countries, notably the USA and former Spanish dependencies such as the Philippines. Spanish is a member of the Romance group of Indo-European languages but its vocabulary contains a large number of words of Arabic origin, the result of Moorish domination of Spain for many centuries. There are more than 200 million Spanish speakers worldwide.

Spanish language

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
member of the Romance group of the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Romance languages ). The official language of Spain and 19 Latin American nations, Spanish is spoken as a first language by about 330 million persons and as a second language by perhaps another 50 million. It is the mother tongue of about 40 million people in Spain, where the language originated and whence it was later brought by Spanish explorers, colonists, and empire-builders to the Western Hemisphere and other parts of the world during the last five centuries. It is the native language of over 17 million people in the United States, and is one of the official languages of the United Nations. Spanish is a descendant of the Vulgar Latin brought to the Iberian peninsula by the soldiers and colonists of ancient Rome (see Latin language ). Thus the Spanish vocabulary is basically of Latin origin, although it has been enriched by many loan words from other languages, especially Arabic, …
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Full text Article Spanish language

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Romance language spoken in Spain and in large parts of the New World. It has more than 358 million speakers, including more than 85 million in Mexico, more than 40 million in Colombia, more than 35 million in Argentina, and more than 31 million in the U.S. Its earliest written materials date from…
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Full text Article Spanish language

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
member of the Romance group of the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Romance languages ). The official language of Spain and 19 Latin American nations, Spanish is spoken as a first language by about 330 million persons and as a second language by perhaps another 50…
| 569 words
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Full text Article Spanish-Language Economy

From Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
The Spanish-language economy refers to a segment of the U.S. economy that caters to individuals whose primary language is Spanish. Toward the end of the twentieth century, Spanish-language speakers accounted for a significant percentage of all U.S. consumers, and the spending power of this group…
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Full text Article Spanish language

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Member of the Romance branch of the Indo-European language family, traditionally known as Castilian and originally spoken only in northeastern Spain. As the language of the court, it has been the standard and literary language of the Spanish state since the 13th century. It is now a world language, …
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In early December 2021, I was seeing a physical therapist for a shoulder injury. During one of my visits, the therapist was alternating between me and another patient on an adjacent bed, who had a knee replacement. While the therapist worked on the other patient’s leg, stretching it and bending the…
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Full text Article Latino Performing Arts

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
Jose Ferrer playing softball with other members...
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Full text Article Menéndez Pidal, Ramón

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born March 13, 1869, La Coruña, Spain—died Nov. 14, 1968, Madrid) Spanish language scholar. His work on the origins of the Spanish language and his critical editions of literary texts generated a revival of the study of medieval Spanish poetry and chronicles. His writings include Manual of…
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Full text Article LATINO-ORIENTED ELECTRONIC MEDIA

From Latino Almanac: From Early Explorers to Corporate Leaders Full text Article MEDIA
Two films have been made about Spanish-language...
The number of stations, companies, and organizations related to Spanish-language radio and television in this country has grown, as has the content they offer. Radio, for example, not only offers rancheras and salsa, but also Top 40, mariachi, norteña , Tex-Mex, Mexican hits, adult contemporary, …
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Full text Article LATINO-ORIENTED TELEVISION

From Latino Almanac: From Early Explorers to Corporate Leaders Full text Article MEDIA
The organization of the Telemundo Group, the...
As was the case for radio, Spanish-language television transmissions started almost as soon as English-language ones did. Since the 1940s, entrepreneurs have found a significant market and profits transmitting to the Latino populations in the United States. Spanish-language television has grown…
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Full text Article Language

From Keywords for Latina/o Studies
Among Latinas and Latinos, language is a complex and sometimes vexing matter. Inextricably bound up in notions of identity and civic belonging, language lies at the center of contemporary discourse about immigration, education, and citizenship; as such, it is inherently a political subject. But…
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