Spanish: speak the language of 400 million people | British Council 25/02/18 13)18

Spanish: speak the language of

400 million people
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By Catherine Mansfield
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22 August 2014 - 15:28
education and culture from
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, Spanish was highlighted as the most important language for people in the UK to 02 February 2018 - 10:12
learn. In the third of our series of posts on the ten languages in the report, the
How a teaching assistant
British Council's Catherine Mansfield explains why.
turned everyday issues into
successes (/voices-
Spanish is the only major language not declining at A-level
magazine/turn-issues-into-
success-language-assistants)
Back when I was at secondary school in the 1990s, Spanish was a fairly unusual option
as a second language. In fact, it was sheer luck that my school even offered it, as this
undoubtedly altered the course of my life. Over a decade after taking my Spanish A-level, 29 January 2018 - 16:06
I’m an MA-qualified Spanish translator, working in marketing at the
How two language assistants
British Council’s Bogotá office (http://www.britishcouncil.co/en) and married to a
brought their diverse
lovely Colombian. None of this would have happened, had my school been one of the
experiences to a teaching
many that offered only French and German.
placement (/voices-
magazine/diverse-experience-
Since then, the tables have turned. Spanish overtook German as the second-most
language-assistants)
popular language at GCSE in 2008, and has been growing ever since. In fact, Spanish is
now the only major language to be bucking the downward trend at A-level, staying in

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Spanish: speak the language of 400 million people | British Council 25/02/18 13)18

demand while other languages decline.

22 January 2018 - 08:00

The language’s popularity with teenagers is sometimes attributed to its influence on One response to the 'learning
popular culture. With 30 to 40 million native Spanish speakers in the US, the language styles' debate (/voices-
has made its mark on American music, film and TV. Perhaps the magazine/response-learning-
number of celebrities with at least a smattering of Spanish styles-debate)
(http://spanish.about.com/od/entertainmentinspanish/a/celebs-spanish.htm)
make it seem more accessible in the UK, where foreign languages are often perceived
as a relatively 'difficult' school subject.

More people speak Spanish than English

One huge advantage of Spanish is the access it offers to such a wide range of countries
and cultures. It’s the second-most widely spoken language in the world (after Mandarin
Chinese), with 400 million native speakers, and official status in a staggering 21
countries, spanning South, Central and North America, as well as Africa and Europe.

There are differences in how Spanish is spoken around the world Our work in Spain

But how much does Spanish differ across all these countries? The main difference is the (http://www.britishcouncil.org/spain/en)
accent, which can vary greatly from place to place. The Argentinian accent is arguably
the most distinctive. Argentinians pronounce the double 'l' of 'me llamo' (my name is) as
'me shamo', while the more standard pronunciation is 'me yamo'. Even my native-
speaker husband says he has trouble understanding the Argentinian accent at times,
which is reassuring when I find myself struggling!

There are also some grammatical differences and many differences in vocabulary,
particularly for day-to-day items such as clothes and food. Juice for example is 'zumo' in
Spain, but 'jugo' in most parts of Latin America. As for clothing, in most Spanish-speaking Our Publications
countries the word for 't-shirt' is 'camiseta', but it’s 'remera' in Argentina, 'polera' in Chile,
and 'playera' in Mexico. You can find even more examples on (http://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/publi
Asi hablamos (http://www.asihablamos.com/), a great website for Spanish words
from around the world.

Distinctive Spanish phrases give insight into different cultures

While you might struggle with some accents and trip up on a new word or two, the good
news is that all the different varieties of Spanish are basically mutually intelligible. This
makes Spanish a backpacker’s dream, and the starting point for discovering a world of
fascinating cultures.

Spanish reflects the cultures of the many people who speak it, and therefore has a great
number of stories to tell. My favourite idiom is (unsurprisingly) a Colombian one: 'dar
papaya'. This literally means 'to give a papaya', but figuratively means 'to make it easy for
somebody to rob, trick or mock you'. In a historically insecure country, it’s a typically
Colombian message: if you go around flashing your fancy new iPhone, you’re 'giving a
papaya', so don’t be surprised if someone takes it from you. It’s a sensible rule to live
your life by, neatly embedded into the language. Follow the rule of the papaya and all will
be well!

Spanish is famous for its diminutives

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Spanish: speak the language of 400 million people | British Council 25/02/18 13)18

Another distinctive aspect of Spanish is its use of diminutives. The usual form is to add '-
ito' or '-ico' to the end of a word, which can be used to create affectionate terms: 'Juanito'
(from Juan), 'mi amorcito' (my little love). However, in Latin America, everything ends up
as a diminutive: it’s not a 'café' (coffee), it’s a 'cafecito'. It’s not a 'cerveza' (beer), it’s a
'cervecita'. This gives the language a warmth and friendliness that reflects the typically
laid-back attitudes of the Latin American people.

One telling usage of the diminutive is when it’s applied to the word 'ahora'. Don’t be
fooled by your Spanish dictionary telling you that 'ahora' means 'now'. Ask your Latin
American friend what time they’re going out and they might reply 'ahorita'. This could be
in 20 minutes or perhaps an hour; it’s an undefined quantity. At least in social situations,
Latin Americans have a famously ambivalent attitude towards time and there’s no point
trying to fight it. Embrace the word 'ahorita' and just go with the flow!

Speaking Spanish helps companies do business in Latin America

The same element that makes Spanish such a culturally rich language -- the fact that it is
spoken in so many countries -- is also the key to its potential in the world of work. While
Spain is still the UK’s eighth-largest goods export market, valued at £8.5 billion in 2012,
the real scope for growth can be seen in the emerging countries of Latin America.

With a combined population of over 221 million people, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and
Mexico have all been identified by the Confederation of British Industry as upcoming
economies. Mexico, for example, is one of the most open trading nations in the world,
although its potential for business with the UK has not yet been fulfilled.

According to the
Languages for the Future report
(http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/languages-for-the-
future.pdf)
, the UK government recognises that trade relations with Latin American economies like
Colombia are underdeveloped. However, this looks likely to change. The Colombian
airline Avianca has launched a direct flight between Bogotá and London. Both the UK's
former Foreign Secretary William Hague and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have
visited Colombia in the last year, and the Prince of Wales plans to visit the country in
October. These signs suggest this particular Latin American country will be one to watch
in the coming years.

In the context of all this growth, and with currently only four per cent of the UK’s adult
population able to have a conversation in Spanish, even a few words could potentially go
a long way.

Spanish's popularity is unlikely to be eclipsed

Spanish is stronger now than it has ever been. But with languages such as Mandarin,
Arabic and Japanese on the rise, will Spanish lose some of its popular appeal?

Personally, I doubt it. As a Romance language, it shares some roots with English, not to
mention its close connection to French (still, by far, the most widely taught language in
UK schools). While keen linguists and entrepreneurs will inevitably find themselves drawn
to the challenge of learning non-European languages, the familiarity of many aspects of
Spanish means it is likely to attract a broader language-learning public.

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Spanish: speak the language of 400 million people | British Council 25/02/18 13)18

Beyond practical concerns, the opportunities that Spanish offers to discover a vast
number of cultures, as well as the business possibilities emerging from new Spanish-
speaking markets, makes me quietly confident that Spanish will continue to grow as a
popular language for learners of all ages.

Download the full

Languages for the Future report
(http://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/publications/languages-future)
.

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Yuri Yarin • 10 months ago

I believe that when you say "accent" you mean the intonation and pacing of the
language. Some regions link the words very closely (and sometimes even cutting off
words) and it sounds like they speak faster, while others separate and deliberately
pronounce each syllable. On the other hand, the pitch and the "sing-songiness", or
lack thereof, is what makes comprehension very difficult. Even within one country,
such as Spain, you see all of these linguistic paradigms evolved and can make it
difficult to understand accents you're not used to. The same goes for many Latin
countries. Just a correction: it's not just accent, it's intonation and rate of Speech.
Note that as a distinction in English for example, the main problem we have is that
the way one vowel sounds in one place can sound completely different in another.
For example, New Zealanders say the word "red" and it sounds like "read" to an
American. Or, a British person from the North (I believe Manchester region) would say
"shut" and I might understand it as "shoot" or "cat" and I'll hear "cut" because I have
an American accent. This doesn't happen so much in Spanish. Different accent in
Spanish doesn't mean the same thing as different accent in English.
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Joe Cushing • 10 months ago

If you count non-native speakers, it's 50 million in the US, making it the 2nd largest

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Spanish: speak the language of 400 million people | British Council 25/02/18 13)18

If you count non-native speakers, it's 50 million in the US, making it the 2nd largest
Spanish speaking country in the world. It was in 5th place when I was in high school.
It's not likely to pass Mexico any time soon, though. It has 120 million people. That is
unless English speaking Americans start learning Spanish, en mass. A lot of
Americans resent what they see as a Spanish takeover. They are upset that they have
to press 1 for English in call menus. Websites, like my bank and cellphone company,
offer Spanish as well.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

kris > Joe Cushing • 9 months ago

English is spoken by 2 Billion people on Earth (Harvard Business Review
2012-16)
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Joe > kris • 4 months ago

Yeah but that's mainly as a second language. I don't see why it would
be bad for many Americans as a second language since English would
never really die out to begin. I am not upset with Spanish growing in
the country in fact I am happy and wish it to be a big language
alongside English. I mean we have Puerto Rico a Spanish dominant
territory. That speaks a lot for itself when you conquer a territory with a
main language not being English.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Y Tu Más > kris • 8 months ago

:D https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Janne Sosa • a year ago

I decided to try Rocket Spanish because I wanted to learn some Spanish before a
trip to Ecuador. I just returned, and the Spanish I learned with Rocket Spanish was
not only extremely helpful, it made my trip so much more fun..
http://5blogger.com/5
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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