What is Spanish?
What is Spanish? Spanish is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula, which is located in the Southwestern part of Europe. You might be thinking, what is a Romance language? A Romance language is one that originates from Latin. There are about 400 million people who are native Spanish speakers, making it the second most spoken language in the world next to Mandarin. Spanish is the national language in 20 countries (not including Puerto Rico) across the world, and is one of six official languages in the United Nations.
Why do so many speak it?
The major event that occurred, which lead to so many people speaking this language world wide, was when Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. His voyage was funded by the Spanish Monarchs to find a new route to India, but instead he found the New World. The letters Columbus wrote to the Monarchs made them interested in expanding into new and unexplored territories. At the height of the Spanish Empire, they expanded into 5 out of the 7 continents.
Why should I learn Spanish?
There are so many reasons to study Spanish, and it is hard to list them all! I will share some of the reason as to why study Spanish.
- Studies have shown that students who have studied Spanish, or any other foreign language, tend to score higher on exams such as the ACT and the SAT.
- Besides getting higher scores on certain exams, most universities require that a student take two years of a foreign language prior to applying. Why not make it Spanish?
- Since we are geographically located in an area where there are a high number of Spanish-speaking people, there is a high demand by employers to find people who are bilingual. You can make about $10,000 more a year by knowing a second language.
- Have plans to travel? There are 21 countries where knowing Spanish will get you around easily.
- There are 21 Spanish speaking countries- each with rich cultures and histories that we can explore. All of them are unique and distinct to their own.