Different dialects and Castillian

Question

Hi

Take a look at this:

I would like to know where people speak Castillian outside of spain.

Is there any countries in latin america that people there speak Castillian.

Y otra cosa mas, can someone find me a chart like what I gave that shows the different dialects in america?

Muchisimas gracias

Answer 1

First: Castilian is the dialect originally spoken in "Castilla" (Spain), which became the predominant dialect in the whole country, and therefore, the official one (even though there were other dialects and languages that are still alive nowadays). The language later was called "español" to reflect the fact that it was shared by all people who live in "Hispania" (the old name for Spain), regardless of their local dialect/language. Anyone who speaks Spanish nowadays is using an evolved form of the old Castilian dialect, which is the core of what we call Spanish language, even though it has evolved so much in different regions, that it sometimes looks like something else.

Anyone in America speaks the language that eventually came from Castilian, but there were many influences from other dialects and languages that have changed the language considerably.

Y otra cosa mas, can someone find me a chart like what I gave that shows the different dialects in america?

Funny! First you have to define what you mean by dialect. There are many studies about dialects in Latin America, and none of them agree with one another; probably because there is so much dialectical variation, that it is almost impossible to do a "scientific" classification. The most serious differentiations divide Latin America into 6 to 10 areas (roughly), according to different criteria. Spain gets mixed into one group or another depending on what factors are being considered, but it is also important to remember that Spain is highly divided in terms of languages and dialects, so there is nothing like a "Spanish from Spain"; almost all Spaniards would laugh if they were told that everyone in Spanish speaks the same Spanish.

Anyway, the main groups in Latin America, being simplistic, are "Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay", then the rest of South America, then parts of Central America, and then "Mexico and surrounding areas". This groups can be further split into more groups according to more accurate criteria, and then into more groups, until you can't tell the difference.

The key terms here are diversity and continuum. If you don't know what they mean, you are wasting your time here.

I wonder if you would consider Caribbean Spanish as a separate group from the ones you've listed. - gintar77, Sep 2, 2011

Nice answer - KevinB, Sep 2, 2011

Thanks for this Lazarus - pacofinkler, Sep 3, 2011

Answer 2

Wow you all know how to take something and really make it complex! el castellano is want we call in English the modern day Spanish (originally from Castille) that is spoken in that region and brought over to the New World during colonization...it's as simple as that! Spanish dialects ( more specifically Castillian Spanish) would vary and our broadly divided into the following regions: Spain, Mexico, Carribean, Northern region of South America and Southern region of South America... because of influx of other nationalites and cultures, this picture gets even more confusing when its a question of dialect!

Answer 3

Thank you, but can you explain that:

. If you don't know what they mean, you are wasting your time here.

I don't understand that at all, de que estas hablando?

Answer 4

Wow! Thanks man!

Muchisimas gracias

Answer 5

Although I tend to agree with lazarus, I would like to add the following:

In the case of English. To me is clear that one is American and the other British, and then Australian and New Zelander for example.

Same thing for Castilian. Spanish, Chilean, Argentinean etc.

I know that in Spain there are four recognized languages, Euskera, Castilian, Catalan and Galician, being Castilian the official language.

So when a person from Spain says that he speaks Spanish, I am sure he or she is referring to Castilian and not one of the other languages.

So to me, when someone says "I speak Spanish" I think that person is from Spain, although I know it could mean any country where Castilian is spoken.

I think that has come to be like that because of English. People wanting to speak English they find that we are all "Hispanics or Latins" and speak "Spanish" or worse "Latino"!

There was someone here before who got the Rosetta stone for Latin and was angry to find that it wasn't what was spoken in South America. - rabbitwho, Sep 3, 2011

I say I speak Spanish, Spanish that I have learned in Colombia. I'd not put it any other way, unless I'm semi-joking, and then I say I speak Colombiañol... - afowen, Sep 5, 2011

Yo como chileno, hablo castellano y no español. :-D You're funny and I guess very young, afowen. - chileno, Sep 5, 2011

Answer 6

Thanks, can you please answer my question?

Yes, sorry we made it so difficult.

Castillian is the official or defacto official language of the following countries: Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Columbia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Honduras, Paraguay, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, and Equatorial Guinea.

In other words: Castillian = Spanish. It's the same thing.

I hope this helps.

Answer 7

Please?

Didn't Lazarus answer it? Do you have another question? Do you want a map of different dialects in north america? Google it! - rabbitwho, Sep 5, 2011

Answer 8

Thanks, can you please answer my question?