Imagine for a moment that Spanish was a sauce. How would it be like? It would have a strong flavor for sure, capable of enriching any dish it gets in touch with. Because of this, Spanish has left its footprints everywhere in the vast menu of the languages of the world. From iNMSOL we want to guide you in this journey made of languages and curiosity: let’s go!
Spanish: an adventurer language
Spanish has left his footprint, both linguistically and geographically, in every place it has visited during the centuries. Although, Did you know that it has influenced languages even without having shared their boundaries?
Influence in English:
Words like “canyon,” “plaza,” and “rodeo” are taken directly from Spanish.In addition, terms like “alligator” come from”el lagarto.”
Loans to Filipino:
During three centuries of Spanish colonization, Tagalog and other Filipino dialects used words such as “mesa,” “ventana,” and “silla.”
Linguistic phenomenon of Spanish origin
In addition to simple language borrowings, Spanish has fostered changes in the grammatical and phonetic structure of other languages,
- The “Ñ” :
- This letter and sound characteristic of Spanish has been used in languages like euskera and some American indigenous ones.
Influence in grammar structure:
- In some indigenous languages in the Americas, grammatical structures similar to the direct or indirect object of Spanish are incorporated after contact with Spanish.
An exchange between languages.
In addition to cede his own words, Spanish has also borrowed some. For example, the Anglicism “software” is used daily in contemporary Spanish, as is “jazz” from U.S. English.
FAQs: Clarifying doubts about the Spaniard’s route
- Did Spanish influence only the languages it colonized? Not only. It certainly influenced more the territories that were under Spanish rule; trade, migration and globalization exported Spanish to every corner of the planet.
- Have indigenous languages also influenced Spanish? Of course! Words like “chocolate,” “tomate,” and “guacamole” are original to the indigenous languages of America.
Conclusion
The dance of Spanish with other languages is a waltz with an organized choreography over centuries. By leaving a word or using a structure, Spanish has not only left its mark, it has changed in the process. So the next time you hear a familiar word in a foreign language, remember that it may be an echo of the wide range of Spanish. As an Englishman would say, “It’s all part of the linguistic salsa!”
Until next time !