Linguistic Heritage
The Linguistic Heritage of Castile and Leon
One of the things that most attracts students to do a language course in Castile and Leon is the region's linguistic heritage. The region is, after all, the home of 'Castellano' (or Castilian) and in addition to its many fine language schools, can be considered one of the strongholds - historically and in modern times - of the language.
Roots of Castilian
As with nearly all languages, Castilian was formed iteratively over a period of several centuries from a mixture of pre-existing dialects and the languages of occupying invaders. These occupiers ranged from Romans (who introduced Latin to the region in the 3rd century BC) through Visigoths and Vandals and finally the Moors, under whom the first semblances of the language began to develop in the 10th century.
Development of Castilian
It was during the 13th century, though, that Castilian really began to take a hold; during the reign of Alfonso X (1252-1284), known as 'El Sabio' or 'The Wise', it was to become the official administrative language. The oldest preserved epic poem - 'El Cantar de Mío Cid' or, in English 'The Song of the Cid' - is believed to have originated from somewhere near Burgos, and it was during this period that the earliest universities in Castille and Leon - those of Salamanca and Palencia - were first founded.
By the end of the 15th century Castilian language (and culture) was developing quickly, carried along on a wave of new-found confidence that was to lead to the Spanish Golden Age. The first grammar (and the first of any Romance language), 'Gramática Castellana', was written in 1492 by Antonio de Nebrija, a student of Salamanca University. Soon it was to be the language of Empire and to be exported to the New World.
Castilian in 20th Century Castile and Leon
During the 20th century, two of Spain's foremost men of letters (and members of the illustrious 'Generation of 98') were to be connected to the region: Miguel de Unamuno and Antonio Machado. Although not from Castile and Leon (he was a Basque), Unamuno was rector of the University of Salamanca from 1900 to 1924 and 1930 to 1936 and author of several of the most influential works of the period - from novels to philosophical texts and poetry. Machado, too, was not from Castile and Leon (having been born in Seville). But he held the position of Professor of French, first at a school in Soria then in Segovia, and wrote arguably his finest work, 'Campos de Castilla', during his time in the region.
