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You speak Catalan? I thought you were from Spain... |
Yes, this happens to Catalans all the time. Who is a Catalan you wonder? Someone from Barcelona or the many little towns in Catalonia. They have a flag and a soccer team and have one foot out the door from Spain. Catalans do however speak Castilian also. How? Why? The Romans, who conquered the Iberian Peninsula in and around the turn of the first millennia spoke Vulgar Latin (colloquial or common Latin). Over the course of the next 1,000 years, that Vulgar Latin developed into various languages spoken in the regions of what is now Spain and Portugal. Most people think that is only "Spanish" and Portuguese, however, that is not the case. There are quite a number of languages spoken in Spain that have official status in a particular province and are taught in schools along with Castilian (what we commonly refer to as Spanish.) This is key information for genealogists that are trying to race roots back to Spain. Unfortunately, after Spain unified in 1492, lots of surnames got "Castilianized" meaning they took the Castilian version of the name. This happened for various reasons, sometimes because families were Jewish or Muslim. Even if they converted, there was pressure to conform to the new, unified Catholic nation, and that included changing names. But some families kept their original surnames, which can be a huge clue when you're tracing your roots.
FYI - In the surname list, I included the original language the name originated in. A large amount of surnames come directly from villages and cities in what is now Spain. In the photo gallery at the bottom of this page, there is a language map of Spain but it is in Spanish. In addition, some of the patronymic surnames come via German and you may wonder why. Unknown to many outside of history buffs, much of the Iberian peninsula was under rule of the Visigoths for roughly 300 years! The Visigoths were a Germanic tribe and spoke Gothic. When the Visigoths arrived Latin was the lingua franca of the Iberia and Gothic never took hold among the population with the exception of a few hundred or so words and some personal names which were passed down through families and in turn became surnames and have survived until today.
Directly below is a chart I created that lists the regions, provinces, towns/cities and languages spoken in the regions. Because of the varying languages, you will find the regions and languages written in Castilian, English, and in some cases the <native language.> I have found that it is helpful if you are doing research about surnames, to know the various ways to look up places and information. This chart is not comprehensive but instead just a taste to provide some insight into the variety found around the peninsula.
FYI - In the surname list, I included the original language the name originated in. A large amount of surnames come directly from villages and cities in what is now Spain. In the photo gallery at the bottom of this page, there is a language map of Spain but it is in Spanish. In addition, some of the patronymic surnames come via German and you may wonder why. Unknown to many outside of history buffs, much of the Iberian peninsula was under rule of the Visigoths for roughly 300 years! The Visigoths were a Germanic tribe and spoke Gothic. When the Visigoths arrived Latin was the lingua franca of the Iberia and Gothic never took hold among the population with the exception of a few hundred or so words and some personal names which were passed down through families and in turn became surnames and have survived until today.
Directly below is a chart I created that lists the regions, provinces, towns/cities and languages spoken in the regions. Because of the varying languages, you will find the regions and languages written in Castilian, English, and in some cases the <native language.> I have found that it is helpful if you are doing research about surnames, to know the various ways to look up places and information. This chart is not comprehensive but instead just a taste to provide some insight into the variety found around the peninsula.
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Brief video about the Spanish language. (My apologies for his inability to pronounce Spanish words.
Interactive timeline of Spanish language.
Interactive timeline of Spanish language.
Languages of Spain
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Aragonese <Aragonés>
Aragonese is the native language of the Aragonese mountain ranges of the Pyrenees in Northeastern Spain. It is spoken primarily within the province of Aragon, specifically in the northern and central areas of Huesca and the northern region of Zaragoza. Locative Surnames: Aguero, Novales, Samper Associated Surnames: Galindo, Mirabal, Cajiga |
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Asturian <Asturianu>
Asturian in native to the Principality of Asturias in Northwestern Spain. This includes the city of Oviedo. Locative Surnames: Nava, Quiros, Solis, Fonfrias Associated Surnames: Peláez |
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Basque Vasco <Euskara>
Linguistically, Basque is a language isolate, meaning it is unrelated to any other known language. Basque is native to what is known as Basque Country, a contiguous region that includes parts of Spain and France that spans across the western Pyrenees mountains. This includes the Spanish provinces of Gipuzkoa, Biscay, parts of Álava, and northern Navarre. Locative Surnames: Castejón, Elizondo, Mojica, Oquendo Associated Surnames: Garcia, Ochoa, Zuñiga |
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Castilian Castellano
The Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy) defines Castilian Spanish as a standard language. For most Spanish speakers, castellano most often refers to the language as a whole, as a synonym of español (Spanish). Locative Surnames: Burgos, Cisneros, Cuellar, de León |
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Catalan <Catalá>
Catalan is native to Catalonia in northeastern Spain along the Mediterranean and parts of Southern France. It is the official language of Andorra, and a co-official language of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Valencia (where the language is known as Valencian). Locative Surnames: Calderon, Capó, Oliva, Segarra Associated Surnames: Beltrán, Nadal, Puig |
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Galician Gallego <Galego>
Galician is native to Galicia, a region in Northwestern Spain, bordering northern Portugal. It's important to note that Galician shares a closer linguistic relationship with Portuguese than with Spanish. This close affinity has led many linguists to consider Galician and Portuguese as belonging to a single linguistic continuum, or even as dialects of the same Galician-Portuguese language. Locative Surnames: Abreu, Corujo, Lebrón, Lugo, Sotomayor Associated Surnames: Duarte, Matos, Salgado |
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Andalusian dialect
Andalusian Spanish, spoken in southern Spain, is a distinct variant of Castilian Spanish. Its unique features include seseo (pronouncing "s," "c" before "e" or "i," and "z" as /s/) and yeísmo (merging the "ll" and "y" sounds into /j/ or /dʒ/), traits also found in some Latin American dialects like Puerto Rican Spanish. Unlike standard Castilian, which pronounces "z" and "c" before "e" or "i" as /θ/ (similar to the "th" in "thin"), Andalusian uses /s/. Historically, Andalusia's period under Muslim rule as the Caliphate of Córdoba contributed Arabic loanwords to the language. This dialect is prevalent across much of Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, and has influenced Latin American Spanish. Locative Surnames: Orozco, Osuna Associated Surnames: Ibañez, Mora, Moreno Arabic Influence: Granada, Almodovar, Medina |
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Aranese
Aranese, spoken in the Val d'Aran, is a standardized form of the Gascon variety of Occitan. Occitan, also known as "lenga d'òc," is a Romance language spoken in parts of Southern France, Monaco, the Italian Alps, and Northern Spain. Aranese is one of the three official languages of Catalonia. Associated Surnames: Castaing |
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Maps of Spain |
