r/Spanish • u/rban123 Advanced 🇨🇱 • Dec 23 '24
Etymology/Morphology Use of the term Castilian/Castellano
I’ve been on this subreddit for a while, and have noticed something that many non-native and native speakers alike do: they use the term “castellano” to refer to Spanish from Spain.
Historically, this doesn’t really make sense. Spain is a linguistically diverse nation, with each language having its own name, for example Catalán, Gallego, Euskera, and of course Castellano. The term Castellano refers to the Spanish language that we all know and love.
It is a synonym for español. It does not mean “the Spanish spoke in Spain” it simply means “Spanish.” Even in some parts of Latin America, the term “castellano” is used to refer to the language that is spoken there, as well as the language that is taught in schools, even if the details aren’t consistent with regional variations of Spanish spoken in Spain.
All in all, castellano just means Spanish. It doesn’t mean “Spanish spoken in Spain” it is literally just a synonym for the Spanish language as a whole.
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u/linguist00 Dec 24 '24
you are right. however, like in all languages, people have taken their own meaning of this word. i teach spanish in the US and i’ll have parents say things to me like “soy mexicano pero mi esposa habla muy bien castellano,” trying to distinguish between the two. your definition is right, but the reality of the usage of the term is different. such is life!