Ethnologue: Languages of the World/ Spanish

Spanish

A language of Spain

ISO 639-3: spa

Population	28,200,000 in Spain (1986). Population total all countries: 328,518,810.
Region	Central, south; Canary Islands. Also in Andorra, Anguilla, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Language map	Portugal and Spain
Alternate names	Castellano, Castilian, Español
Dialects	Andalusian (Andalú, Andaluz, Andalusí), Aragonese, Murcian, Navarrese, Castilian, Canary Islands Spanish (Isleño), American Spanish (Chicano), Silbo Gomero. Leonese has similarities to Asturian, and may be extinct. Lexical similarity: 89% with Portuguese, 85% with Catalan [cat], 82% with Italian, 76% with Sardinian [src], 75% with French, 74% with Ladin [lld], 71% with Romanian [ron].
Classification	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
Language use	Official language. 60,000,000 L2 speakers.
Language development	Fully developed. Bible: 1553–2000.
Writing system	Latin script.
Comments	The Aragonese dialect of Spanish different from Aragonese language [arg]. Silbo Gomero whistled variety of Spanish used in the Canary Islands. SVO; prepositions; genitives, relatives after noun heads; articles, numerals before noun heads; adjectives before or after noun heads depending on whether it is evaluative or descriptive; question word initial; (C(C))V(C); nontonal. Christian.

Also spoken in:

Andorra

Language name	Spanish
Population	24,600 in Andorra (1986).
Alternate names	Castilian
Language use	National language.

Argentina

Language name	Spanish
Population	33,000,000 in Argentina (1995).
Dialects	Portuñol, Portunhol, Rioplatense, Lunfardo.
Language use	Official language.

Belize

Language name	Spanish
Population	101,000 in Belize (2006).
Region	Northern and western districts; scattered throughout the country.
Language map	Belize
Alternate names	Castellano, Español

Bolivia

Language name	Spanish
Population	3,480,000 in Bolivia (1995).
Dialects	Afro-Yungueño (Black Spanish).
Language use	Official language.

Chile

Language name	Spanish
Population	13,800,000 in Chile (1995). 25% Spanish, 66% mestizo.
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	National language.

Colombia

Language name	Spanish
Population	34,000,000 in Colombia (1995).
Language use	National language.

Costa Rica

Language name	Spanish
Population	3,300,000 in Costa Rica (1995).
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	Official language.

Cuba

Language name	Spanish
Population	10,000,000 in Cuba (1995).
Language use	National language.

Dominican Republic

Language name	Spanish
Population	6,890,000 in Dominican Republic (1995).
Language use	National language.

Ecuador

Language name	Spanish
Population	9,500,000 in Ecuador (1995).
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	Official language.
Comments	Christian.

El Salvador

Language name	Spanish
Population	5,900,000 in El Salvador (1995).
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	National language.

Equatorial Guinea

Language name	Spanish
Population	11,500 in Equatorial Guinea (Johnstone 1993).
Region	Mainly Biombo Island.
Language use	Official language.

France

Language name	Spanish
Language map
Alternate names	Castillan

Gibraltar

Language name	Spanish

Guatemala

Language name	Spanish
Population	4,670,000 in Guatemala (1995).
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	National language.

Honduras

Language name	Spanish
Population	5,600,000 in Honduras (1996).
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	National language.

Mexico

Language name	Spanish
Population	86,200,000 in Mexico (1995).
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	National language.
Comments	Whistle speech reported.

Morocco

Language name	Spanish
Population	20,000 in Morocco (Johnstone 1993).
Region	North coast scattered.

Nicaragua

Language name	Spanish
Population	4,350,000 in Nicaragua (1995).
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	Official language.

Panama

Language name	Spanish
Population	2,100,000 in Panama (1995).
Region	Enclaves.
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	Official language.

Paraguay

Language name	Spanish
Population	187,000 in Paraguay (2000 WCD).
Region	Mainly Asunción, urban areas.
Language use	Official language. Used in education and government.

Peru

Language name	Spanish
Population	20,000,000 in Peru (1995).
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Language use	Official language.

Philippines

Language name	Spanish
Population	2,660 in Philippines (1990 census).
Region	Mainly in Manila.
Language use	Formerly the official language. Used by a few families as L1.
Comments	Christian.

Puerto Rico

Language name	Spanish
Population	3,440,000 in Puerto Rico (1996).
Language use	National language.
Comments	Some dialects considered archaic.

Trinidad and Tobago

Language name	Spanish
Population	4,100 in Trinidad and Tobago (2004).
Region	Southern peninsula, fishing villages.
Language use	Many second-language users only. Frequent contact with Venezuelan fishing communities that lie 9 miles off the coast of Trinidad.

United States

Language name	Spanish
Population	28,100,000 in United States (2000 census).
Region	Widespread. San Antonio, Texas to Los Angeles; Denver; New Orleans, Miami, Florida area; New York City; Illinois.
Alternate names	Castellano, Español
Dialects	Chicano (Caló), Isleno (Isleño, Islenyo).
Language use	Official status in New Mexico.
Comments	Population has increased 61% or more since 1970. About 40,000 Islenos in New Orleans speak Islano, a distinct variety of Canary Island Spanish, which may now face extinction due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Uruguay

Language name	Spanish
Population	3,000,000 in Uruguay (1995).
Dialects	Portuñol, Portunhol, Rioplatense, Lunfardo.
Language use	National language.

Venezuela

Language name	Spanish
Population	21,500,000 in Venezuela (1995).
Language use	Official language.