|
Pimsleur Downloads
Home
|
Spanish Culture Shaped by Many Civilizations
For generations, it has been widely acknowledged that the Spanish culture includes a strong tradition of hospitality and warmth, which embraces visitors and foreigners as family. This wonderful attitude of generosity and friendliness is a strong incentive for people to want to learn Spanish when it comes time to choose a second language to study.
In addition to what might be known about the culture of Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, the world has also been affected in many ways by Spanish influences. Some of these cultural influences from the Spanish language and the Spanish people come in the form of art, music, poetry, dance, cuisine and architecture.
The underpinnings of the Spanish culture actually has its roots in a colorful mosaic that is layered from the input of other varied civilizations. The Iberian peninsula, which sits in the south western part of Europe, is the land where the culture of Spain was incubated.
Over the centuries, the Iberian peninsula, which was the cradle of the Spanish culture, was invaded, conquered and influenced by other many different peoples. There were pre-Latin influences of culture and language from the Greeks, the Basque and the Celts. Later, in the 5th century AD, an invasion of the area by the Visigoths brought in some Germanic influences, plus added some German words to the Spanish language. In addition, the Visigoths introduced some elements of architecture, which over the centuries, developed into the well-known forms of Gothic architecture which is so commonly seen in buildings throughout Hispanic cultures.
During the 8th century AD, Spain absorbed a number of elements of Moorish culture, with the conquest of the area by the Muslims. Moorish artistic and architectural influences can readily be seen throughout the country. Another unique contribution from the Moorish culture are the beautifully planned gardens. An Islamic garden includes four elements which make them unique and stunning: water, shade, variety in color and fragrance, and sound. The Spanish vocabulary was again augmented from this time period with numerous Arabic words, all of which begin with the "al" prefix.
Next, in the early part of the 11th century, there was considerable influence on the culture from French pilgrims and ecclesiastics who traveled through Spain. This friendly interaction brought about an appreciable influx of French words and phrases, as well as touches of cuisine, spiritual traditions and art.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the culture was further shaped by an infusion of elements from the Italian language and society. This arose from the domination of Aragonese influences in Italy and because of the huge popularity of Italian poetry in Spain, during this period. This influenced the Spanish language again with additional words to the vocabulary, including Spanish verbs. In addition, art, cuisine, music and thought were impacted by Italy at this time.
Over the centuries, the Spanish culture has evolved greatly and in many ways is a melting pot of many of the greatest artists, writers, musicians, architects, poets and other creators of their day. When people decide to learn to speak Spanish, they also have the opportunity to learn much more about their cultural contributions to the world.
|
