Spanish Speaking Countries

The Spanish language has the third largest number of speakers in the world and is the second most commonly spoken language in the United States. It is a language that can trace its roots all the way back to the Roman Empire and is emerging as a significant tongue for international business and emerging economies. It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations and the most prevalent language in the Americas. The Romance language of Spanish has become a popular choice for many who choose to benefit themselves both economically and culturally.

People who learn Spanish give themselves a significant advantage in the career market.When competing for the same job, candidates who are able to speak and write in Spanish are often favored and are far more likely to be hired. Retail establishments and international corporations are especially keen on hiring people who are able to speak Spanish, and it is also highly beneficial for teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, the clergy, and other professions to have a working knowledge of the Spanish language. Since many countries that have Spanish as their official language are considered to be emerging world markets, knowing Spanish will continue to be important for world commerce and trade in the decades to come.

Because it is such a widely spoken language, Spanish has a variety of dialects. The form of Spanish that is spoken in Spain, for example, is slightly different than that spoken in Central America. Nevertheless, learning any one regional variation of Spanish enables the speaker to communicate in all the others, as the differences are mainly in the extent of the vocabulary and use of the second-person personal pronouns.

Aside from the economic benefits that can come with learning Spanish, there are also many cultural advantages. Learning Spanish requires students to learn something about Hispanic culture, which helps them understand their Hispanic friends, neighbors, and co-workers better. Furthermore, learning Spanish can help students learn other languages, especially those in the Romance family of languages like French and Italian. Those who know Spanish have a world of travel opportunities opened to them, as knowing the language will make it easier to visit countries and other locales where Spanish is the official language.

Spanish will continue to be one of the most important world languages in the years ahead, and everyone can benefit from learning to read and speak it. Information on learning the language is abundant and there are many suggested resources to help students learn about the different varieties of Spanish spoken in the different countries of the world.

Further information on the Spanish Language spoken in select Spanish-speaking countries:

ANDORRA

All About Catalan : UCLA’s website about Catalan, the version of Spanish spoken in Andorra and in certain parts of Spain

ARGENTINA

Argentinean Spanish: pronunciation guide to Argentinean Spanish and information on its other unique features

Spanish in the South: informative article on the difference between some personal pronouns in Argentinean Spanish

BRAZIL

Spanish Language in Brazil : a guide to the form of Spanish that is the first language of a minority of Brazilians

CHILE

Chilean Spanish and Chileanisms : a guide to the distinctive differences of Chilean Spanish from a Chilean government site

Presbyterian College: Take it On: reflections on a student’s study-abroad experience in Chile, including information on Chilean Spanish

COLOMBIA

Columbian Slang and Colloquialisms : features the unique Spanish slang words popular in Colombia

CUBA

Caribbean Spanish: some brief information on the form of Spanish spoken in Cuba and other Caribbean countries

Cuban Spanish: good data on the uniqueness of the Spanish spoken in Cuba from the Center for Applied Linguistics

ECUADOR

Language Preservation: some short data on Andean Spanish, which is spoken in Ecuador and many other South American countries

MEXICO

Spanish Spoken in Mexico: slang expressions and other unique features of the Spanish spoken in Mexico featuring translations into Spanish and English

SPAIN

All About Castilian Spanish: a great overview of the history and phonology of Castilian Spanish

Dialects and Accents of Spain: audio recordings of speakers from various regions of Spain

UNITED STATES

New Mexican Spanish Verb Forms: an older article on the uniqueness of the Spanish spoken in New Mexico

Spanish in the United States: PBS site offering a brief history of Spanish in the United States and the variations of Spanish spoken there

VENEZUELA

Reprimands and Responses to Reprimands: information on Spanish reprimands in Venezuela, with information on the same topic in Argentina and Peru as well