There are two names given to the Spanish language: Spanish (español) and Castilian (castellano). Linguistically, Castilian means Spanish, as it is the medieval Spanish language of the Kingdom of Castile that spread across Spain and became the national language known virtually always as Spanish in English. But in Spanish itself, the term castellano is often used to refer to the language, at the expense of the term español (Spanish), and awareness of the term is growing in French and to a lesser extent in English. This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... The Spanish language developed from vulgar Latin, with influence from Basque and Arabic, in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula (see Iberian Romance languages). ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Spanish (Castellano) is a language originating in North-Central Spain which is spoken throughout Spain, most countries in America, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea. ... The Spanish language uses determiners in a similar way to English. ... The Spanish language has nouns that express concrete objects, groups and classes of objects, qualities, feelings and other abstractions. ... The Spanish language has a range of pronouns that in some ways work quite differently from English ones. ... The Spanish language uses adjectives in a similar way to English and most other Indo-European languages. ... The Spanish language has a relatively large number of prepositions. ... Spanish verbs are one of the most complex areas of Spanish grammar. ... Main article: Spanish verbs This is a paradigm of Spanish verbs, that is, a set of conjugation tables, for the model regular verbs and for some of the most common irregular verbs (see the article on Spanish irregular verbs for common patterns of irregularity that may help understanding this paradigm). ... Spanish verbs are a complex area of Spanish grammar, with many combinations of tenses, aspects and moods (up to fifty conjugated forms per verb). ... A name is a label for a thing, person, place, product (as in a brand name), and even an idea or concept, normally used to distinguish one from another. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... The Spanish language developed from vulgar Latin, with influence from Basque and Arabic, in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula (see Iberian Romance languages). ... A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

To understand how two terms can refer to the same language, imagine that the English language were sometimes called English after the historical nation whose language it is, but also sometimes British after the modern state, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), of which it is the official language. To add to the complexity, former British colonies such as British North America had to choose a name for the language, as did the speakers of Welsh and other non-English languages in the United Kingdom. This resembles the situation with Spain and its historical centre, Castile. Motto:   (the Royal motto3) (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the Queen 4 Capital London Most populous conurbation Greater London Urban Area Official languages English, Cornish, Welsh and more (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Monarch Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair Formation    - Union of the Crowns... British North America was an informal term first used in 1783, but uncommon before the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), called the Durham Report. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ...

Spaniards tend to call the language español (Spanish) when contrasting it to languages of other states, such as in a list with French (francés), Chinese (chino), etc. Castellano (Castilian) by contrast, is more often used when contrasting the language with other regional languages of Spain: Aragonese, Asturian, Basque, Catalan, Galician, and so on. In this manner, the Spanish Constitution of 1978 uses the term castellano to define the official language of the whole State, opposed to las demás lenguas españolas (lit. the other Spanish languages). Article III reads as follows: The Languages of Spain are the languages spoken or once spoken in the territory of the country of Spain. ... Languages distribution in Aragon (Aragonese in red). ... Asturian, Leonese, Astur-Leonese or Bable (Asturianu in Asturian, Llïonés in Leonese) is a Romance language spoken in some parts of the provinces of Asturias, León, Zamora and Salamanca in Spain, and in the area of Miranda de Douro in Portugal (where it is officially recognized as... Basque (native name: Euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ... Catalan IPA: (català IPA: or []) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra and one of several co-official languages in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Valencia (under the name Valencian), and Catalonia. ... Galician (Galician: galego, IPA: ) is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community with the constitutional status of historic nationality, located in northwestern Spain and small bordering zones in neighbouring autonomous communities of Asturias and Castilla y León. ... The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. ...

El castellano es la lengua española oficial del Estado. (...) Las demás lenguas españolas serán también oficiales en las respectivas Comunidades Autónomas...

Castilian is the official Spanish language of the State (...) Other Spanish languages shall also be official in the respective Autonomous Communities...

The Royal Language Academy used castellano from the 18th century, but since 1923 its dictionary and grammar are de la lengua española. The Academy's usage of one term is not necessarily a condemnation of the other. The Real Academia Española (Spanish for Royal Spanish Academy, RAE) is the institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. ...

Bilingual regions of Spain

In the bilingual regions where regional languages are spoken, there is obviously a daily need to make this contrast, and so the language is most often referred to as Castilian, particularly in the regional languages themselves (e.g. espanyol is virtually never used to refer to the Spanish language in Catalan: castellà is used instead.) This usage is often mirrored by educated English speakers when referring to the linguistic situation in Spain.

For some, this use of the term castellano or Castilian is a political or cultural statement that Castilian is only the language of Castile and perhaps some areas that Castile colonised, but not the language of their region, where they consider the only legitimate language to be the regional one, i.e. Catalan, Basque, etc. This stance is common in regionalist circles.

Conversely, some nationalist circles prefer the term español because they perceive themselves as separate from Spain, and therefore do not mind the language of Spain being called Spanish. In Basque-speaking regions, where the language is not romance — Basque is believed by many scholars to be a language isolate — some Basque speakers might even use the term erdera (lit. foreign) specifically for Spanish, since for them it is the prevalent foreign language. The Romance languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, comprise all languages that descended from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. ... A language isolate, in the absolute sense, is a natural language with no demonstrable genealogical (or genetic) relationship with other living languages; that is, one that has not been demonstrated to descend from an ancestor common to any other language. ...

Monolingual regions of Spain

In monolingual regions of Spain, the implications are a little different. There, inhabitants do not have anything to prove, but still they must choose one of the two terms. Castilians themselves usually use the term español, thus legitimately presenting it as the national language (the Spanish constitution declares that all Spaniards have 'the right to speak Castilian and the duty to know it'). However, they also frequently call it castellano, either to assert their ownership or to distinguish it from the regional languages.

Monolingual regions outside of Castile include Cantabria or Andalusia. There, español may be used as in Castile to stress the national nature of the language, with a slightly different nuance: they are accepting another region's historical language as their national language. The terms have otherwise much the same significance as in Castile. Anthem: Himno de Cantabria Capital Santander Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 15th  5,321 km²  1. ... Motto: Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad (Andalusia by herself, for Spain, and for humankind) Capital Seville Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 2nd  87,268 km²  17. ...

The concept of a standard

The term castellano is occasionally used to imply more of a standard form than español does. For example, if someone mispronounces a word, they might be told ¡hable castellano!, i.e. 'Speak Castilian!', 'Speak properly!'. However, this nuance is not to be exaggerated, as it is perfectly possible that the term español or even, jocularly, cristiano ('Christian') could be used instead. Moreover, the term castellano is also commonly and correctly used to refer to dialects of Spanish that deviate dramatically from the standard.

Usage and implications in former colonies

Both names are commonly used in parts of the world colonised by Spanish speakers, such as the Americas. As in Spain, the implications are complex. The most common term is español, generally considered to be a neutral term simply reflecting the country the language came from. For people who use this term, castellano may possibly imply greater correctness as it sometimes does in Spain, or it may merely be an alien term, referring to a region in a far-off country.

However, some Latin Americans prefer the word castellano. Reasons given generally include the idea that Spanish is an international language with historical origins in the old kingdom of Castile, and that the term español is imperialist, implying it is the language of Spain. One criticism of this reasoning is that Castile is the imperialist heart of Spain, and the engine that drove the colonization of the Americas, so castellano is just as 'bad' in these terms as español. However, the fact that Spain is still a major nation-state, whereas Castile is now a region buried within Spain and internationally forgotten, is the deciding psychological factor.

In practice, the use of one term or the other tends to be a matter of local customs, rather than reflecting any philosophical or political ideas.

However, in some Latin American nations, castellano may be used to specifically describe the variation(s) of the language spoken in the castellano speaking regions of Spain, while español would general refer to Standard Spanish. Standard Spanish or Neutral Spanish, is a linguistic variety or lect that is considered the correct educated standard for the Spanish language. ...

Some constitutions avoid the issue by talking about "the national language".

Castellano ('Castilian') is generally preferred in:

• Argentina
• Paraguay
• Uruguay
• Spain:
  • Catalonia
  • Valencia
  • Balearic Islands
  • Galicia
  • Navarre
  • Basque Country

Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan, Spanish and, in Aran Valley, Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ... Capital Valencia Official language(s) Castilian and Valencian Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 8th  23,255 km²  4. ... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official language(s) Spanish and Catalan Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4,992 km²  1. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Capital Pamplona (Basque: Iruña) Official language(s) Spanish; Basque co-official in the north of community. ... For the traditional overall Basque domain, see Basque Country (historical territory). ...

Alternation between both names

• Colombia
• Bolivia
• Chile: The media use the word español but the schools teach castellano
• Ecuador
• Peru
• Venezuela

Español ('Spanish') is generally preferred in:

• Central America
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Mexico
• Puerto Rico

The Spanish speaking countries in red predominantly call Spanish Castellano while the nations in blue predominantly call it Español which also includes the Spanish speaking areas of the southern United States.

Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... Image File history File links Castellano-Español. ... Image File history File links Castellano-Español. ...

Usage and misconceptions abroad

This complex linguistic situation is obviously not always grasped by non-Spanish speakers (or even by Spanish speakers themselves). Some believe that the term español is not used in Spanish, or only in Spain, and that the term Spanish is therefore wrong. So, it is not uncommon in some politically correct circles to write Castilian, Castillian or even Castellano in English texts, calling Spanish incorrect or imperialist. This can even lead to their rejecting the official ISO 639 code for Spanish (es) in favour of ca, with the consequence that Catalan then would have to be given ct. ^{[citation needed]} Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... ISO 639 is one of several international standards that lists short codes for language names. ... Catalan IPA: (català IPA: or []) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra and one of several co-official languages in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Valencia (under the name Valencian), and Catalonia. ...

Another use of Castilian in English is to distinguish between standard Spanish and dialects. As noted above, this distinction is made to some extent in Spanish, but not as far as some English speakers go — for example, websites with language selection screens giving the choice between Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish among other languages.

In the Americas, where Spanish is the native language of 20 countries, usage of castellano and español is sometimes reversed when referring to another nation. For example, a Peruvian, talking about a Uruguayan, might say Yo hablo en español peruano, él habla en español uruguayo, pero los dos hablamos castellano ("I speak Peruvian Spanish, he speaks Uruguayan Spanish, but we both speak Castilian"). This odd usage comes from the historical association of español with the language that was brought to America by conquistadores, and later transformed in each nation through daily usage, and castellano as the basis for all variants. Conquistador (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under Spanish rule between the 15th and 17th centuries. ...

Speakers of Ladino call their language "espanyol" and to a lesser extent, "kastelyano", but when comparing it to standard Spanish they call it "djudeo-espanyol" among other regionalisms.

Historical background to the various terms

History of the term 'Castilian'

Castile (in Spanish: Castilla) means Castle-land, from castiello plus the suffix -ia, giving Castiella, a form that survives in the Astur-Leonese language and can be seen in mediaeval Castilian texts such as the Lay of the Cid. Modern Spanish has transformed all words ending in -iello, -iella into -illo, -illa. The adjective derived from Castilla is castellano, or 'Castilian', in English. Castellano also means 'castellan', i.e. a castle master. There is a comic scene based on the play on words (Castilian/castellan) in Don Quixote. Balmoral Castle, Scotland Castle has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning. ... Astur-Leonese or Bable (Asturianu in Asturian, Llïonés in Leonese) is a Romance language spoken in some parts of the provinces of Asturias, León, Zamora and Salamanca in Spain, and in the area of Miranda de Douro in Portugal (where it is officially recognized as Mirandese). ... A page from the original codex, starting from line 1922 El Cantar de Mio Cid is the oldest conserved Spanish cantar de gesta. ... A castellan was the governor or caretaker of a castle or keep. ... (IPA: ) or (The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. ...

The region was thus named because it was a frontier land controlled from a series of fortified castles. It shared borders with rival Moorish Spain and the Christian kingdoms of Navarre and Aragon. // United States In the United States, the frontier was the term applied to the zone of unsettled land outside the region of existing settlements of Americans. ... Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ... Though the details are largely legendary, the Kingdom of Navarre evolved from the county of Pamplona, its traditional capital, when the Vasconic leader Enneco Aresta (Iñigo Arista or Aiza in Spanish) was chosen King in Pamplona (traditionally in 824) and led a local revolt against the Franks. ... Aragón was a Frankish feudal county (Jaca) before becoming a self-proclaimed kingdom, which was united to the kingdom of Pamplona (later Navarre) in 925. ...

History of the term 'Spanish'

HISPANIA was the name given to the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans when they discovered and later subjugated it. The name was previously Canaanite אי שפנים (ʾî šəpānîm), meaning 'coast of hyraxes', named by Canaanite-speaking Phoenicians who mistook Spain's large rabbit population for hyraxes that roamed the Iberian Peninsula in ancient times (although today, the Spanish population of wild rabbits is not quite as abundant as it was then due to the introduction of the myxomatosis virus to mainland Europe in 1950.) The Romans called its inhabitants HISPANI (singular: HISPANVS), and the relevant adjective was HISPANICVS. These terms would naturally have developed into España, *espanos (singular: *espano) and *espánego in Castilian. In reality, only the first term exists in modern Castilian, as it seems that the Spanish borrowed the Occitan name for themselves, which was the name España plus the diminutive suffix -ol, from the Latin -VLVS or -OLVS. We can see this because if the native Castilian suffix had been used this would have given us *españuelo rather than español. Roman theater at Mérida; the statues are replicas Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ... The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ... Area under Roman control  Roman Republic  Roman Empire  Western Empire  Eastern Empire Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a city-state founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Canaanite languages are a subfamily of the Semitic languages, spoken by the ancient peoples of the Canaan region, including Canaanites, Hebrews, Phoenicians, and eventually Philistines. ... Genera Procavia Heterohyrax Dendrohyrax A hyrax (in South African English: klipdassie) is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. ... Phoenician sarcophagus found in Cadiz, Spain; now in Archaeological Museum of Cádiz. ... Genera Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. ... The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000-5,500 years, with cuneiform possibly being the oldest form of writing. ... Myxomatosis (from the Greek μύξα (mucus), and ματώνω (to bleed)) is a disease which infects only rabbits. ... Groups I: dsDNA viruses II: ssDNA viruses III: dsRNA viruses IV: (+)ssRNA viruses V: (-)ssRNA viruses VI: ssRNA-RT viruses VII: dsDNA-RT viruses A virus is a microscopic particle that can infect the cells of a biological organism. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Occitan, or langue doc is a Romance language characterized by its richness, variability, and by the intelligibility of its dialects. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

As the branches of Vulgar Latin began to evolve into separate Romance languages, the term that would evolve into español began to be used to refer to these derivative languages (especially as opposed to the Arabic and Hebrew of the Moorish and Jewish inhabitants of Iberia). It was at first a general term that embraced the various dialects of Iberian Romance spoken in the area, including the forebears of modern Portuguese, Galician, Castilian and Catalan. However, with the rise of Castile as a power, and its absorption of all surrounding regions into an ever-growing empire that eventually spread to the New World, the term España was eventually equated with the peninsular territories dominated by Castile. With this, the break with the Roman concept of Hispania was complete, and the term acquired its modern meaning of 'all of Iberia except for Portugal and Andorra'. Similarly, español came to be used to refer to the common language of this new country: Castilian. Vulgar Latin, as in this political graffiti at Pompeii, was the way that ordinary people of the Roman Empire spoke, which was different from the Classical Latin used by the Roman elite. ... The Romance languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, comprise all languages that descended from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. ... Arabic ( or just ), is the largest member of the family of Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic, and Aramaic. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... Moorish Ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I of England The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including present day Spain and Portugal) as well as the Maghreb and western Africa, whose culture is often called Moorish. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... Galician (Galician: galego, IPA: ) is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community with the constitutional status of historic nationality, located in northwestern Spain and small bordering zones in neighbouring autonomous communities of Asturias and Castilla y León. ... Catalan IPA: (català IPA: or []) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra and one of several co-official languages in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Valencia (under the name Valencian), and Catalonia. ... Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, c. ...

The terms España and español spread to other languages. The English name 'Spain' is from the French Espagne. 'Spanish' is 'Spain' plus the English suffix -ish. The term continues evolving as other languages adapt these words to form their own name for Spain — for example, Japanese スペイン語 (Supein-go), 'Spanish language', and スペイン人 (Supein-jin), 'Spaniard', derives from the Japanese word for Spain, スペイン (Supein), which, in turn, derives from English 'Spain'. In Chinese though, the word is directly taken from Spanish (or perhaps even Latin) rather than English: they say 西班牙 (Pinyin phonetic symbols: xībānyá) for Spain and 西班牙语 (Pinyin: xībānyá yǔ) , or the abbreviation 西語 (Pinyin: xī yǔ) for the Spanish language. The Arabic إسبانية (isbaniya) for Spain derives directly from the word España: the absence of "p" in the Arabic alphabet makes it a "b", and the sound "ñ" is transformed into "ny". إسباني (isbani) is the name for Spanish, with the same end of عربي ('arabi that means "arabic"). It has been suggested that Pinyin method be merged into this article or section. ...

While Espanyol is used in Tagalog and other languages of the Philippines, the word Kastila is more frequently used. Furthermore Katsila (pronounced "Cachila") is also used among those who speak Visayan languages like Cebuano. Tagalog (pronunciation: ) is one of the major languages of the Republic of the Philippines. ... There are over 170 languages in the Philippines; almost all of them belong to the Austronesian language family. ... The Visayan languages of the Philippines, along with Tagalog and Bikol, are part of the Central Philippine language family. ... Cebuano, also known as Sugboanon, is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20,000,000 (ethnologue) people and is a subgroup or member of Bisaya, Visayan and Binisayâ. The name came from the Philippine island of Cebu, with the Spanish suffix -ano meaning native, of a place...

In Guatemala, although Spanish is the official language, the Mayans the original inhabitants of the region, call it "la castilla", keeping the original name from colonial times until our days. Mayans speak at least 22 different "Mayan" languages and dialects (Mam, Pocomam, cak'chikel, tzu'tuhil, kek'chi, ki'che, etc). This article is about the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. ...

* denotes an unattested or hypothetical form.

Usage of the term "cristiano" (Christian)

During the presence of Moors in Hispania, Spanish was sometimes given the name cristiano to distinguish it from the Arabic and Hebrew languages. Spanish also marked Christians from "heathen" Amerindians. This term is still used today to refer to the language, though usually jocularly. Moorish Ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I of England The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including present day Spain and Portugal) as well as the Maghreb and western Africa, whose culture is often called Moorish. ... Roman theater at Mérida; the statues are replicas Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ... Arabic ( or just ), is the largest member of the family of Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic, and Aramaic. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... Heathen is a term used both to describe a person who does not follow an organized religion, and also a modern practitioner of Heathenry. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ...

The expression Hábleme en cristiano "talk to me in Christian", uttered to people not speaking Spanish, is often felt as racist and insulting by inhabitants of the bilingual areas of Spain, such as Catalonia, Valencia, Galicia and the Basque Country, but not in the Americas. Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan, Spanish and, in Aran Valley, Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ... Capital Valencia Official language(s) Castilian and Valencian Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 8th  23,255 km²  4. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... For the traditional overall Basque domain, see Basque Country (historical territory). ...

History of the term 'Language of Cervantes'

Spanish is often referred to in educated circles as the 'Language of Cervantes' or lengua de Cervantes, in reference to Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a usage akin to that of Shakespeare for English, Dante for Italian, etc. (IPA: ) or (The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. ... Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (September 29, 1547 - April 23, 1616), was a Spanish author, best known for his novel Don Quixote de la Mancha. ... Shakespeare redirects here. ... Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ...

Other terms

Gonzalo de Berceo, one of the earlier authors in Castilian, named his language román paladino (i.e., "plain Romance") "in which a person talks to his neighbour", that is, direct talking, without affectation. Gonzalo de Berceo was born in the end of the 12th century in the Riojan village of Berceo, close to the major Benedictine monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla. ...

See also

• Iberian languages
• Languages of Spain
• Iberian Romance languages

The Iberian language describes a linguistic group identified with the Iberian civilization (7th century BC – 1st century BC), formed in the eastern and south-eastern regions of the Iberian peninsula. ... The Languages of Spain are the languages spoken or once spoken in the territory of the country of Spain. ... This article is about a subdivision of the Romance language family. ...

External links

• Detailed linguistic map of Spain
• La lengua de Castilla ya tiene nombre: ¡Castellano y no Español!. Castilian nationalist writing about the name of the language. (Spanish)