by Alan White
Mainland Spain is home to five separate official languages:
• Castilian: the only official language for the whole of Spain
• Catalan: spoken in Catalonia and the Balearics, also spoken in parts of southern France, and is co-official in Andorra and a small area in Sardinia
• Valencian: spoken in the Valencia area, very closely related to Catalan
• Galician: spoken in Galicia in the north west of Spain
• Basque or Euskera as it is called in that particular language is spoken in the Basque Country
While Castilian is the official language of Spain and all official documents must be drawn up in this language, many people are unaware that in Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque country, official documents must also be drawn up in these languages. Visitors to Barcelona, Valencia, San Sebastian or Santiago de Compostela, for example, will see the regional languages displayed alongside Castilian on the underground, on road signs and on adverts, and may encounter people who prefer dealing in English than in Castilian, a language which many associate with linguistic and cultural repression during Spain’s history.
As with many regional languages, the more you travel out of the main cities and towns, the more likely you are to encounter these regional languages. It is also true, however, that because of “immigration” from other areas of Spain, some people in these areas do not speak these languages, although the respective regional governments have tried to counter this by making instruction of these languages obligatory at varying levels of the educational system.
As for the languages themselves, Catalan and Valencian are relatively similar to Spanish and other Romance languages; indeed the French influence is also quite strong, although the sound of the language is much more closed than Castilian and more akin to Portuguese. Galician is similar to Portuguese in pronunciation and syntax, due to the geographical location of Galicia and its historical ties to Portugal. Basque, on the other hand, bears no resemblance whatsoever to any European language, indeed linguists have linked it to languages such as Georgian or those from non-Arabic speaking Africa.
Having said this, companies looking to target the mainland Spanish market are probably best advised to keep to Castilian Spanish, as it is understood by the entire country and is the first language of over 72% of the country. As for South America (with the notable exception of Brazil), Castilian is the language to be used, although if targeting this area, you should opt for the South American variant – the difference being akin to the difference between US and UK English.
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