Learn To Speak Spanish
With the vast number of Spanish-speaking countries today, it is important to learn to speak Spanish, especially if you find yourself traveling to or doing business in one of these countries. Spanish is one of several Romance languages that are derived from a dialect of spoken Vulgar Latin which developed in the north-central region of the Iberian Peninsula in the northern part of Spain. Spanish came into being after the Roman conquerors originally insisted that Latin be used as the official language of any conquered territory over the native languages originally spoken in the conquered lands when they were made a part of the Roman Empire. Over the ensuing centuries Spanish evolved from the original Latin base as it seeped into the local speech.
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| Language Programs: | Rocket Spanish | Rosetta Stone Spanish | Fluenz Spanish | Spanish Learning Suite | Pimsleur Spanish | Lingo Basics Spanish |
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Audio Video Speech Recognition Word Recognition Culture Lessons |
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Word Resources and Tools
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Richness of the Spanish language
The standard version of the Spanish language is also known as Castilian. This is the version of Spanish spoken in Spain today, and the standards of grammar and pronunciation is overseen by the institution known as the Academia Real. If you want to learn to speak Spanish and know the oldest and most complete form of the language, which will give you enough of a grounding in the language to access the rich Medieval writing of such authors as Cervantes, you’d best learn Spanish using the Castilian dialect.
As Spain conquered colonies and territories, the use of Spanish spread throughout the Americas. Today Spanish is spoken in North, Central and South America as well as the area of the Caribbean, and even in the Philippines. Due to many cultural differences and traditions, the language began to change in the colonial countries that had once been a part of the Spanish Empire. Due to its history of prolonged contact with other languages, the Spanish vocabulary now contains loanwords from languages such as Basque, Arabic, and the indigenous languages spoken by the native peoples of the Americas.
Differences
The Spanish used in Mexico, for example, is different than that spoken in Puerto Rico, Cuba, or other Caribbean nations. There are even distinct dialectical differences between the countries of Central and South America. Depending on where you learn to speak Spanish, it’s likely that you will be recognized by differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, much like native speakers of English from the United States can be differentiated from a native English speaker born in England, Scotland or Australia. Due to these regional differences, you’d best learn Spanish from a course that’s geared toward taking into account these differences in dialect and vocabulary.
Final Outlook on the Spanish Language
At last count, there are over 20 countries world-wide that recognize some form of Spanish as their official language, and Spanish was adopted as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Travel to these countries and having a good time can be enhanced when you are able to operate in the language. Also, taking into account statistics like these, it’s no wonder that business opportunities are opening up for the smart businessman willing to learn to speak Spanish in the dialect of the country he wants to do business in.
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