Spanish is becoming more and more common throughout the world. In this respect, it is second only to Chinese. There is a large list of Spanish speaking countries scattered around the world. Among them is Spain itself, many states of Latin America and even Africa. Each of them has its own linguistic features and dialects. Perhaps not everyone knows that the largest Spanish-speaking country is Mexico.
Some statistics
Spanish is considered the mother tongue of 125 million people in Mexico, although it is spoken by over 439 million worldwide. In addition, it is the local dialect that is recognized as the most popular version of this language. This can be explained as follows: Mexicans make up approximately 29% of the total number of Hispanic people worldwide. Thus, Mexico can rightly be called the most Spanish-speaking country in the world.
The local dialect is well understood both in Spain itself and throughout Central and South America. Interestingly, in the Latin areas of Los Angelesthere are many bars and cafes where the staff does not speak English at all, and dollars for beer are taken very reluctantly, preferring pesos. Note that such establishments are very popular there.
Official and not only
In some areas of this Spanish-speaking country, Indian languages are still spoken. For example, in the southern part of Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca, the dialect of the ancient Zapotecs is widespread. But in the city of Taxco and not far from it, the Indians communicate in the language that the ancient Aztecs spoke. It is called Nahuatl. As for modern Spanish, official in Mexico, here we can mention the presence in it of a large number of words that the locals borrowed from their ancestors - the ancient Indians.
The same goes for English. Neighborhood with the United States could not but be reflected in the speech of the inhabitants of Mexico. Every year, a large number of American tourists come to this Spanish-speaking country. In addition, there are close economic ties between the two states. Of course, such a close proximity left its mark in the vocabulary of the Mexicans. It has many anglicisms that you won't find in dictionaries, but which are predominant in the speech of the inhabitants of this largest Spanish-speaking country.
Where else is Spanish spoken?
There are a lot of Spanish-speaking countries. Most people who speak this language live in Latin America. Residents communicate on itArgentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Spanish is native also for:
- Chileans;
- Colombians;
- Ecuadorians;
- Salvadorans;
- Peruvians;
- Uruguayans;
- Venezuela residents, Guatemalans.
Other countries with official Spanish include Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Paraguay.
Although not an official language in the former British colony of Belize, a 2000 census shows that over 52% of the local population speaks Spanish very well.
Even in Africa there is a country where it is completely free to communicate. We are talking about Guinea. Spanish is used here along with French, which is the official language. According to experts, approximately 89% of Guineans speak Spanish in everyday life.
Local tribal languages, including Fang, Bubi and Aranese, have made their own adjustments to colloquial speech, as a result of which Spanish here resembles a kind of cocktail. In general, the pronunciation and grammatical constructions of Equatorial Spanish are more similar to Castilian than to Latin American.
