What is Castilian?

Quick Answer

Castellano(Castilian), one of the many dialects of the Spanish language, serves as the official language of Spain and the basis of modern standard Spanish.

History

Castilian, originally the local dialect of the small region of Cantabria, became the language of the kingdom of Castile in the 12th century. In the 15th century, the Castilian dialect spread widely and became the official language of Spain, in spite of the fact that it wasn’t spoken by the majority.

¡Cuidado!(Careful!) People often confuse Castilian with Catalonian, the language of northeastern Spain.

Defining Characteristics

In regard to dialect, the terms Castilian and Spanish are not interchangeable, despite castellano often being used to refer to Peninsular Spanish. There are many dialects of Spanish, and Castilian is just one of them. Let’s take a look at some defining characteristics of Castilian:

The letter c is pronounced like th before e or i like the th in thing. For example, centro(center) is pronounced "thehn-troh."
Most of the time, the letter z is also pronounced like th. For example, zapato(shoe) is pronounced "thah-pah-toh."
Speakers of Castilian Spanish use the vosotrosform to talk to a group of family or friends.
The Castilian dialect features leísmo, which is the use of leas the direct object instead of lo.

The different pronunciation of the c and z in Spanish even has its own terminology! Click here to explore the differences between ceceo(th pronunciation) and seseo(s pronunciation).

Should I Refer to Spanish As Español or Castellano?

Spanish is known both as español and castellano. In the Spanish-speaking world, deciding between these terms is a subject of heated debate.

Let's take a look at some of the most common viewpoints!

In Spain, some people argue that we should not refer to standard Spanish as castellano, as doing so fails to recognize the other dialects of Spain. Many Spaniards use castellano to contrast it to other dialects of Spain and español to contrast it to other languages, such as portugués(Portuguese) and francés(French).
Other Spaniards argue that Spanish in Spain should only be referred to as castellano.
In Latin America, many Spanish speakers use the term castellano to describe their language because it emerged in the Castile region of Spain. For other Spanish speakers in Latin America, the term castellano can only be used for the Spanish of Spain, or Peninsular Spanish.