The Spanish language and the Roman Catholic religion are among
the oldest and most important cultural bonds that unite Hispanics.
During Spain's colonial period, which lasted from the 1500's to
the 1800's, Spanish missionaries and landowners spread their language
and religion throughout the areas they controlled. As a result,
most Hispanic Americans can speak Spanish, and a large majority
are Roman Catholics.
Technically speaking, the Spanish language is called Castellano.
Castillian Spanish is the Spanish that is spoken in Spain and
Venezuela. The Swedish philologist, F. Wullf, called Spanish "the
most sonorous, harmonious, elegant, and expressive of all the
Romance languages." French grammarian L. Malefille declared that
Italian kept Latin's sweetness, but Spanish maintained its nerve.
Spanish has even been termed "manly." That is to say, French is
spoken from the mouth, Italian from the throat, but Spanish from
the thoracic cavity, the chest. Italian is linked with vehemence.
French with refinement, and Spanish with dignity and even martial
manliness!
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There are other variations of Spanish that are spoken in Puerto
Rico, Mexico, Guatemala and other countries. Hispanics in the
United States speak a variety of Spanish dialects - with distinct
pronunciation, vocabulary, colloquial expressions, and slang -
depending on their country or region of origin, the speakers of
one dialect can usually understand the speakers of another with
no difficulty.
Although some Hispanic Americans do not use Spanish at all, most
continue to speak Spanish in their homes and teach the language
to their children. Many adult immigrants have difficulty learning
English, but their children usually grow up speaking both Spanish
and English. Accent - Many individuals who acquire a second language
past early childhood tend to retain the accent influence of the
mother tongue into the second language. Everyone has an "accent."
Accents vary widely in Spanish speakers as they do in English
speakers (British, New York or Australian English accents). Individuals
can often easily recognize someone from Cuba, Puerto Rico or Columbia
by their native accents. Accent is not an indication of fluency
or comprehension of the second language. An accent reveals a person
to be more than monolingual and is a source of uniqueness and
pride. Unfortunately many individuals use color or skin, and accents
as a basis for discrimination and prejudicial treatment. (Source:
Cultural backgrounds of Hispanic Americans; Campbell, Richard
C. Two Eagles in the Sun)
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