From which root languages and when did spanish originate?

Question

What root laguages contributed to spanish vocabulary. Did spanish originate before languages like Italian, German?

Answer 1

Got an hour or two my friend? Probably it'd be easier if you went on Wikipedia and type in Spanish language. I just checked it out and it would give you a lot of good info. From there you can go to Latin (the source of the Romance languages). You can also explore German (an entirely different branch) The short answer is that Spanish, like French, Italian, and some others, came from the Latin of the Roman Empire. Each of the Romance languages have differed over time through the influence of native and outside cultures. There's some fascinating posts from a few weeks ago about the extensive influence (some 2000 words) of the Arabic language on Spanish due to some 500 years of Arab rule over the Iberian Peninsula.

So there you are my friend, I hope you find it as interesting as I do 'cuz it's kinda fun reading. --Gary

Answer 2

Here is a link to an article on the origins of the Spanish language that should answer your questions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language

I was just coming in with the same link :) Fascinating article ! - sheila-foster, ENE 3, 2010

A surprise fact from this article: The US has the second largest Spanish-speaking population of any country in the world. Mexico is first. - LaBurra, ENE 3, 2010