Spanish Courses School Blog

Spanish or Castilian?

One recurring question among students is: what are the differences between Spanish and Castilian, the two terms used to describe what is, in reality, one language.

This particular question is surrounded by great controversy. I’ve always thought that the choice of denominations is inextricably linked to a person’s political persuasions. And it is perhaps for that reason that students quickly realise the need to understand the nuances implied by each term, and are always asking for clarification.

And all this because what in any other situation would remain a mere topic of discussion, has, as I said, great political weight. And on more than one occasion, students have found themselves in trouble for saying that they study “Spanish” (rather than “Castilian”). That is to say that (in my experience, at least) these connotations are a very palpable reality in various parts of the Spanish-speaking world, and more so in Spain.

For this reason, it would probably be useful for any Spanish teacher called upon to answer this question to bear in mind the following options:

On the one hand, this is what the constitution has to say on the subject:
“Castilian is the official Spanish language of the State… All Spaniards have the duty to know it, and the right to speak it”. Just as
”The other Spanish languages are co-official in their respective Autonomous Communities, in agreement with their Statutes”
Consequently, the term “Castilian” is useful to distinguish between the other co-official languages which are spoken in our country (i.e. Galicial, Catalan and Basque)


On the other hand, the Royal Academy of Spanish gives the following results:
“Spanish- Common language of Spain and many South American nations, also regionally spoken in other parts of the world.”
“Castilian- Spanish language, especially when it is necessary to distinguish between it and other languages regionally spoken in Spain

Personally, it seems strange to me that while a Mexican might easily say that he speaks “Spanish”, this could sometimes be a problem for a Basque. It’s clear that with regards to non-Spanish-speaking countries, “Spanish” is the most usual denomination, and I’d even go so far as to say that many of them wouldn’t even recognise the term “Castilian”.

I’m sure that some of you have also been asked this question by your students, and so I invite you to share your experiences and, of course, your opinion on the matter.

Course for Spanish as a Foreign Language teachers| 0 | M.A

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