Article Directory
Free Online Article Directory. For Article Authors & Publishers

Spain: Recognizing Its Blooming Economy & Unique Language

With an area of 504,030 square kilometers, Spain or Reino de España, is a southwestern European country located on the Iberian Peninsula. It has a population of around 46 million, and has the city of Madrid as its capital. Its other large urban centers include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca and Bilbao.

Spain has a constitutional monarchy, along with a hereditary monarchy and a bicameral parliament system, called the Cortes Generales. The country’s executive branch comprises a Council of Ministers that is headed by the President of Government, which acts much like a prime minister, is endorsed by the monarch and elected after a legislative election by the National Assembly. Its economy, according to figures from the Worlds Bank, is considered the eighth largest in the world as well as being the fifth largest in Europe. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as of 2007 was pegged and valued at $1,439,000 trillion. The country’s economy in 2007 rose by around 3.8%, and was ahead of all G7 members and other major European Union economies for three consecutive years. It is also rated as the 3rd largest global investor.

Spain’s official language is Spanish. It’s also referred to as español or castellano or Castilian. It is the only language that has a nationwide official status, although other languages and regional dialects also have co-official status. The major dialects are spoken in some towns, communities, territories and special enclaves in Africa. Among the major regional dialects is Basque or euskera, which is primarily spoken in Navarre and the Basque Country. Catalan, or català is widely spoken in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, while Valencian, which is referred to as a unique variant of Catalan, is also widely spoken in the Valencian Community. Galician or galego is also the main dialect spoken in the province of Galicia.

Apart from these major regional dialects, there is also a number of thriving ancient Romance minority languages like the Astur-Leonese group, which includes the Asturian and Leonese languages. Asturia, officially referred to as "Bable", is used primarily in Asturias, while Leonese is commonly used in Castile and León. The people in Aragon province also speak Aragonese. However, unlike Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician, these minority languages or dialects are not conferred by any official status because of the very small number of speakers, along with having a less-significant written tradition when compared to Galician or Catalan. Aside from these, most residents who speak the minority languages do not strongly demand for recognition of their regional or provincial dialects.

The Spanish language is generally considered an inflected language, as it has a two-gender system along with having around fifty conjugated forms per verb. It however, has a limited inflection of adjectives, nouns, and determiners. This major European language is closely associated with other West Iberian Romance languages, namely Asturian, Galician, Ladino, Leonese and Portuguese. Spain and its close neighbor Portugal are known to share similar vocabulary and grammar patterns, as well as a heavy injection of Arabic influence, especially when it came under Islamic rule in the Middle Ages.

According to linguistics experts and historians, the Spanish language was believed to have evolved from Vulgar Latin. It is also filled with major vocabulary influences from Arabic, especially during the Andalusian period. It started out as a variety of Latin along the remote Northern Spanish provinces of Cantabria, Burgos and La Rioja. This early language form then gradually spread to eventually became the official language of government and trade. This language form was then exported to the America and other colonies by the legions of Spanish explorers and colonists.

Author Resource:- Jo is a writer for 'Transglobal Languages & Cultures' (http://www.transgloballanguages.co.uk), a UK company dedicated in assisting organizations and individuals to communicate more efficiently in the international market. If you or your company requires spanish language training or if you are working in a new country and need someone to help you overcome language and culture barriers then check out Transglobal Languages & Cultures.
Submitted 2008-11-19 21:17:49
By: Jo Alelsto 99 or more times read
Article Read 135 Times
Article From
Article Listed
[Valid RSS feed]  Jo Alelsto's Author Feed
http://www.articlelisted.com/author-rss-feed.php?rss=563
[Valid RSS feed]  Category Rss Feed
http://www.articlelisted.com/rss.php?rss=53

Related Articles

  • A City Of Palaces Developed By Gentlemen For Gentlemen - Valletta Malta


    Valletta Malta was visited by Benjamin Disraeli, in August 1830, around the recommendation of Lord Byron. He described Valletta as Malta's capital city as 'a city of palaces constructed by gentlemen for gentlemen' which 'equals in its noble architecture, if it isn't going to excel, any capital in Europe' The fortified city is developed on a rocky peninsula around the island's north-east coast, surrounded on 3 sides by two beautiful harbours: the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett harbour.
  • Costa Rica Yoga Retreat for Finding Peace Within


    If you practice yoga daily, then you know its benefits. Yoga retreat centers are growing popular as they offer a way for people to feel more relaxed and healthy at the same time.
  • Locations for Romance on Your Honeymoon


    Getting married constitutes the tip of your single life and starting of a brand new private adventure. To get issues began right, you've gotten an enormous selection of destinations for romance.
  • Rebate Check Service - Market Research Incentives Explained!


    Getting the club the twentieth one hundred year, shopping for Rebate Check Service plus advertising appeared to be simple.
  • Incentives and Rewards Program Leader - Max Generation Revelation Rewards


    Max Generation Revelation Rewards is number 1, and continues to strive to be the very best, on the subject of incentive and rewards programs to encourage and motivate consumer's preferences and staff behavior. The focus for Max Generation Revelation Rewards is on award programs including vacations and lifestyle. They've joined forces with Perspective Magazines to promote its timeshare and fractional market networking and awards event as sponsors. Max Generation Revelation Rewards will be the Bronze Sponsor for the Annual Global Networking Expo, GNEX 2011. Perspective Magazines may be the best-seller plus the leader in internet circulation for timeshare and fractional industries.
  • Welcome News For 2011 Majorca Summer Holidays


    The holiday companies have some great offers on at the moment for holidays this summer, but what about the cost of day trips and eating out once you have arrived at your destination? The good news for those heading for Majorca is that prices are lower this year than last.
  • Hotel Savvy: Don't Let The Bedbugs Bite


    Think you're safe during your trip while staying in your hotel? Think again. Bedbugs can be anywhere, and believe us - they bite.
  • Holidays In Lanzarote - Where To Stay And What To Do


    Lanzarote is one of the top ten holiday destinations for Europeans, here we look at where to stay and what to do on the island.
  • Manchester Park and Fly


    Looking for Manchester Park and Fly services is not as hard as it seems. Today, parking your cars at airports has become a hassle-free and economical route towards a great vacation or business trip.
  • Parking at Manchester Airport


    Are you looking for parking at Manchester Airport? The bustling Manchester Airport is known as one of the busiest airports in the entirety of Europe.

HTML Ready Article. Click on the "Copy" button to copy into your clipboard.




Firefox users please select/copy/paste as usual
Actions
Print This Article
Add To Favorites


Navigation
select
Home
select
Sign up
select
Login
select
Submit Articles
select
Submission Guidelines
select
learn more
select
Top Articles
select
About Us
select
Contact Us
select
Privacy Policy
select
RSS Feeds
   
Submit Your Articles To Our Other Article Directory
Morefreeinformation.com