Editing Name of the Spanish language (section)

==History of the terms==
{{see also|History of the Spanish language|Iberian Romance languages|Spanish colonization of the Americas|History of Spain|History of South America|Kingdom of Castile}}

Originally ''Castilian (castellano)'' referred to the language of the [[Kingdom of Castile]], one of several northern kingdoms that spread across the [[Iberian Peninsula]] through the [[Middle Ages]], from about the 8th to the 15th centuries. Traditionally the first recorded examples of written Castilian/Spanish are considered to be the ''[[Glosas Emilianenses]]'', a number of isolated words added to a Latin text as an aid to the reader, dated to the eleventh century. Soon after that there begin to appear discursive texts in Castilian, such as the ''[[Cantar de Mio Cid]]''. This early [[Romance languages|Romance language]] was derived from [[Latin]] and evolved into modern Spanish.

However, the term ''Spanish'' (''español'') is a more recent term that first referred to Spain as a country, and then to the predominant language spoken in that country. Spain as a truly unified nation appeared centuries later than the language and the Kingdom of Castile; in fact, it was only in the late 15th century that the [[personal union]] between the [[Catholic Monarchs|Crowns]] of Castile and [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]] unified Spain. The actual legal unification date is disputed, but commonly agreed to have occurred not earlier than the eighteenth century at the end of the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. Only then did the Castilian language begin to be commonly called Spanish.

In 1492, the arrival of [[Christopher Columbus]] on a Castilian-paid expedition paved the way for the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas]]. As a result of this process, most countries in South America now speak the same language as Castile. Until about the eighteenth century, the Kingdom of Castile, and not Spain as a whole, was the colonizing power, and the language used was called ''castellano''. Thus, some Latin American countries formerly under Spanish rule have retained the custom of calling it ''castellano'', while others eventually switched to calling it ''español'', with many different factors influencing the final choice.

In English, the term ''Spanish'' relates both to the language and to the nation. The noun used for a person from Spain is ''Spaniard'', with the collective noun ''the Spanish''. The term ''Castilian'' is much less widespread amongst English speakers than the term ''Spanish''.

===''Español''===
Two main hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the word ''español'': one based on [[dissimilation]] in Old Spanish ''españón'' (from a presumed Vulgar Latin *''hispaniōne''), and the other on an [[Occitan language|Occitan]] term derived from a presumed Vulgar Latin *''hispaniolus''. Both Latin ancestor words are based on the place name ''Hispania'' (which evolved into ''España'' by regular sound changes); and both are marked with an asterisk to indicate that they are [[Linguistic reconstruction|reconstructed]], not directly attested.

The dissimilation hypothesis, advanced by [[Ramón Menéndez Pidal]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=l1ZdAAAAMAAJ&q=espa%C3%B1%C3%B3n ''Manual de gramática histórica española''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425210945/https://books.google.com/books?id=l1ZdAAAAMAAJ&q=espa%C3%B1%C3%B3n |date=2023-04-25 }} (1904/1980), p. 181 (§66.2).</ref> presumes that Latin ''Hispania'' was lengthened by the [[Derivation (linguistics)|derivational]] suffix ''-ōne'' (which survives in other [[ethnonyms]] such as ''bretón'', ''borgoñón'', ''sajón'', and ''lapón''). The Old Spanish form ''españon'' is documented in works of the 13th and 14th centuries.<ref>For example the ''[[Poema de Fernán González]]'' and the ''[[Book of the Knight Zifar|Libro del cauallero Zifar]]''.</ref> It is suggested that the final /n/ of this form changed to /l/ by dissimilation from the previous [[nasal consonant]], ''ñ''. This sporadic sound change is observed in some other words: Menéndez Pidal cites ''Barcelona'' (from ''Barcinone'') and ''delante'' (from ''de in ante''); Lathrop adds ''ingle'' (from ''ing[ui]ne'') and ''sangre'' (from ''sang[ui]ne'').<ref>Thomas A. Lathrop, ''The Evolution of Spanish'' (Newark, Del.: Juan de la Cuesta), p. 97.</ref>

According to the Occitan scenario, advanced by [[Rafael Lapesa]],<ref>''Historia de la lengua española'' (Madrid: Gredos, 1981), p. 199 (§51.3).</ref> the Spanish borrowed the Occitan name for themselves, which was the name ''España'' plus the diminutive suffix ''-ol'', from the [[Latin]] ''-olus''. The Occitan influence is inferred because in Castilian the same Latin suffix would have produced *''españuelo'' rather than ''español''. Lapesa counters the dissimilation hypothesis by citing other words with ''-ñón'' in which dissimilation did not take place: ''cañón'', ''borgoñón'', ''riñón'', etc.<ref>P. 200, note 8.</ref> (However, the suffix could have been restored analogically in these, or they were formed after the dissimilation took place.) Penny, in discussing loans from French and Occitan, calls this "the most remarkable loan of all, ''español'' 'Spanish', replacing native ''españón''."<ref>Ralph Penny, ''A History of the Spanish Language'' (Cambridge University Press, 1991), p. 225.</ref>

The name ''[[Hispania]]'' was applied to the [[Iberian Peninsula]] by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] when they [[Roman conquest of Hispania|discovered and later subjugated]] it. One theory about this name is that it comes from [[Canaanite languages|Canaanite]] אי שפנים (''ʾî šəpānîm''), meaning 'island of [[hyrax]]es', named by Canaanite-speaking [[Phoenicia]]ns who mistook Spain's large [[rabbit]] population for hyraxes.<ref>Today the Spanish population of wild rabbits is much less abundant than in ancient times, due to the introduction of the [[myxomatosis]] [[virus]] to mainland Europe in the 1950s.</ref> Several other theories about the name have been advanced as well (see [[Hispania#Etymology|Hispania]]).

The Romans called the inhabitants of Hispania ''hispani'' (singular: ''hispanus''), and the relevant adjective was ''hispanicus''. These terms, had they undergone regular sound change into Castilian, would have developed into ''España'', *''espanos'' (singular: *''espano'') and *''espánego'' or *''espango''—but in reality, only the first term exists in modern Castilian.

As the branches of [[Vulgar Latin]] began to evolve into separate [[Romance languages]], the term that would evolve into ''español'' began to be used to refer to these derivative languages (especially as opposed to the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] of the [[Moors|Moorish]] and [[Jew]]ish inhabitants of Iberia). It was at first a general term that embraced the various dialects of Iberian Romance spoken in the area, including the forebears of modern [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Galician language|Galician]], Castilian and [[Catalan language|Catalan]]. However, with the rise of Castile as a power, and its absorption of all surrounding regions into an ever-growing empire that eventually spread to the [[New World]], the term ''España'' was eventually equated with the peninsular territories ruled by the Crown. With this, the break with the Roman concept of ''Hispania'' was complete, and the term acquired its modern meaning of 'all of Iberia except for [[Portugal]] and [[Andorra]]'. Similarly, ''español'' came to be used to refer to the common language of this new country: Castilian.

The terms ''España'' and ''español'' spread to other languages. The English name ''Spain'' is from the French ''Espagne''. ''Spanish'' is ''Spain'' plus the English suffix ''-ish''. The term continues evolving as other languages adapt these words to form their own name for Spain—for example, [[Japanese language|Japanese]] スペイン語 (''Supein-go''), 'Spanish language', and スペイン人 (''Supein-jin''), 'Spaniard', derive from the Japanese word for Spain, スペイン (''Supein''), which, in turn, derives from English ''Spain''. In Chinese, the word is taken directly from Spanish (or perhaps even Latin) rather than English: 西班牙 (<small>[[Pinyin]] phonetic symbols:</small> ''xībānyá'') for Spain and 西班牙语 (<small>Pinyin:</small> ''xībānyá yǔ''), or the abbreviation 西語 (<small>Pinyin:</small> ''xī yǔ'') for the Spanish language. The Arabic إسبانية (''isbāniya'') for Spain derives directly from the word ''Hispania'' (noting that the absence of "p" in the Arabic alphabet makes it a "b").

==={{lang|es|Castellano}}===

{{lang|es|Castilla}} ("[[Castile (historical region)|Castile]]" in English) is commonly thought to mean '[[Castle]]-land'. The word is derived from Latin {{lang|la|castella}}, the plural of {{lang|la|castellum}}, which, in turn, is a diminutive form of {{lang|la|castrum}}' 'fortress, castle'. Through most of the Middle Ages the word was spelled {{lang|osp|Castiella}}, a form that survives in [[Leonese dialect|Leonese]] today. (Modern Spanish has transformed all words ending in {{lang|osp|-iello}}, {{lang|osp|-iella}} into {{lang|es|illo}}, {{lang|es|-illa}}.) The adjective derived from {{lang|es|Castilla}} is {{lang|es|castellano}}. {{lang|es|'Castellano}} also means '[[castellan]]', i.e. a castle master. There is a comic scene based on the play on words ''Castilian''/''castellan'' in the novel ''[[Don Quixote]]'' (Chapter 2).

The region was thus named because it was a [[frontier]] land controlled from a series of fortified castles. It shared borders with rival [[Moorish Iberia]] (to the south) and the Christian kingdoms of [[Kingdom of León|Leon]] (to the west) and [[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarre]] and [[Kingdom of Aragón|Aragon]] (to the east).

In [[Guatemala]], although Spanish is the official language, the [[Maya peoples]], descendants of the original inhabitants of the region, call it ''la castilla'', keeping the original name from colonial times. Mayans speak at least 22 different [[Mayan languages]] and dialects, including [[Mam language|Mam]], [[Poqomam language|Pocomam]], [[Kaqchikel language|Kaqchikel]], [[Tz’utujil language|Tz’utujil]], [[Q’eqchi’ language|Q’eqchi’]], and [[Kʼicheʼ language|Kʼicheʼ]].

===Other local names===
===="Cristiano"====
{{More citations needed|1=section|date=April 2022}}
During the presence of [[Moors]] in [[Hispania]], Spanish was sometimes given the name ''cristiano'' ("Christian") to distinguish it from the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] languages - although the language spoken by Christians under Islamic rule was [[Mozarabic language|Mozarabic]] (of which [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]] is actually the closest living language). This term is still used occasionally today to refer to the language, in a jocular tone.
The expression ''Háblame en cristiano'' "talk to me in Christian", said to people not speaking Spanish at the moment, is used in opposition of the other languages of Spain,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-46529955|title=De dónde viene la expresión "a mí háblame en cristiano" y qué tiene que ver con el español|last=Llorente|first=Analía|date=2018-12-25|access-date=2019-03-20|language=en-GB|archive-date=2019-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209194214/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-46529955|url-status=live}}</ref> ([[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Basque language|Basque]], as well as others such as [[Asturian language|Asturian]] or Aragonese), to the chagrin of the speakers of these languages. The phrase is not used in the Americas. "Háblame en cristiano" is also a phrase used to ask for clarification in a conversation, when the topic of the discussion is not clear or is vaguely hinted at by one of the speakers.

===="Language of Cervantes"====
The term {{lang|es|lengua de [[Miguel de Cervantes|Cervantes]]}} as an [[epithet]] for the Spanish language began to be used early in the 19th century. [[Mariano José de Larra]] uses the expression in his essay {{lang|es|Literatura}}, first published in 1823.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ChN1_ZcABqkC&dq=%22lengua+de+Cervantes%22&pg=RA1-PA66 ''Obras completas''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408101039/https://books.google.com/books?id=ChN1_ZcABqkC&dq=%22lengua+de+Cervantes%22&pg=RA1-PA66 |date=2023-04-08 }}, Vol. 4 (Madrid: José M. Repullés, 1837), p. 66.</ref> In 1829 it appears in {{lang|es|Una cuestión de derecho}}, by Manuel Sivela.<ref>Paris: Gaultier-Laguionie, p. 185.</ref> Soon after that it appears in an anonymous article in the {{lang|es|[[Gaceta de Madrid]]}}.<ref>"De las traducciones", No. 64 (May 29, 1832), p. 264.</ref> The poet Nicasio Camilo Jover, in his poem {{lang|es|Miguel de Cervantes}}, states directly {{lang|es|Y la lengua del pueblo castellano / Hoy se llama '''la lengua de Cervantes'''.}}<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=eAqvjn2ftP0C&dq=%22lengua+de+Cervantes%22&pg=PA227 ''Glorias de España: Poesías históricas''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408101040/https://books.google.com/books?id=eAqvjn2ftP0C&dq=%22lengua+de+Cervantes%22&pg=PA227 |date=2023-04-08 }} (Madrid: D.F.A. Fernel, 1848), p. 227</ref> Spanish is called {{lang|es|el idioma de Cervantes}} in a book published in 1830,<ref>Rafael Díaz Arenas, [https://books.google.com/books?id=tHsa1sTWRt0C&dq=%22idioma+de+Cervantes%22&pg=PT136 ''Memorias históricas y estadísticas de Filipinas y particularmente de la grande isla de Luzón''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408101039/https://books.google.com/books?id=tHsa1sTWRt0C&dq=%22idioma+de+Cervantes%22&pg=PT136 |date=2023-04-08 }} (Manila: Diario de Manila)</ref> and in another one published in 1838.<ref>"El Tío Cigüeña" (pseud. of Juan Mieg), [https://books.google.com/books?id=3nVIf8-NubcC&dq=%22idioma+de+Cervantes%22&pg=PA67 ''Cuatro palabras á los señores traductores y editores de novelas''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425210946/https://books.google.com/books?id=3nVIf8-NubcC&dq=%22idioma+de+Cervantes%22&pg=PA67 |date=2023-04-25 }} (Madrid: Hijos de Doña Catalina Piñuela), p. 67.</ref>

Occasionally the term refers to the language of [[Spanish Golden Age]] literature generally, rather than simply to that of Cervantes.<ref>For example Héctor M. Ardila A. and Inés Vizcaíno G., [https://books.google.com/books?id=W2hcVra7ZScC&dq=%22lengua+de+Cervantes%22&pg=PA14 ''Hombres y mujeres en las letras colombianas''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425210948/https://books.google.com/books?id=W2hcVra7ZScC&dq=%22lengua+de+Cervantes%22&pg=PA14 |date=2023-04-25 }} (Bogotá: Magisterio, 2008), p. 14: "La lengua clásica, la lengua de Cervantes y Fray Luis de León".</ref>

"The language of Cervantes" in English—as a term for the Spanish language generally—comes into use in the 1840s. Examples appear in Janin (1841)<ref>Jules Janin, [https://books.google.com/books?id=JRUaAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22language+of+Cervantes%22&pg=PR11 "Biographical Notice of Le Sage"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408060238/https://books.google.com/books?id=JRUaAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22language+of+Cervantes%22&pg=PR11 |date=2023-04-08 }}, in ''Asmodeus: Or, the Devil on Two Sticks'' by Alain René Le Sage (London: Joseph Thomas, 1841), p. xi.</ref> and Campbell (1849).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8LAAAAIAAJ&q=cervantes&pg=PA149 ''Life and Letters of Thomas Campbell''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408060240/https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8LAAAAIAAJ&q=cervantes&pg=PA149 |date=2023-04-08 }}, ed. William Beattie (London: Edward Moxon, 1849), Vol. 2, p. 149.</ref>

While quotations and expressions from Cervantes' work are still in use, the actual language and spelling that Cervantes used can sound archaic to modern readers.
Modern editions may modernize it to appeal the current public.<ref name="Planeta">{{cite web |title=Don Quijote de la Mancha - Andrés Trapiello {{!}} PlanetadeLibros |url=https://www.planetadelibros.com/libro-don-quijote-de-la-mancha/197934 |publisher=Planeta de Libros |access-date=24 November 2022 |language=es-es |date=2015-06-02 |quote=la dificultad de un castellano, el del siglo XVII, más alejado ya del nuestro de lo que se cree. |archive-date=2022-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124182242/https://www.planetadelibros.com/libro-don-quijote-de-la-mancha/197934 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===="Román paladino"====
The poet [[Gonzalo de Berceo]], writing in the 13th century, used the phrase {{lang|osp|román paladino}} to mean simple, straightforward language, the language spoken by the common people, as opposed to Latin. In the famous passage from his {{lang|osp|Vida de Santo Domingo de Silos}}, Berceo says {{lang|osp|Quiero fer una prosa en roman paladino, / en cual suele el pueblo fablar con so vezino; / ca non so tan letrado por fer otro latino. / Bien valdra, como creo, un vaso de bon vino}} ("I want to write verse [sic] <!--Dictionaries of Old Spanish define "prosa" as "composición métrica", "poema"--> in clear vernacular, in which the townsfolk speak to their neighbor; for I'm not so learned as to make another in Latin. It will be worth, I think, a glass of good wine").<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lavanguardia.com/magazine/20121108/54354891844/en-roman-paladino-alex-rodriguez-editorial-magazine.html |title=La Vanguardia, Nov 8 2012: "En roman paladino" |date=8 November 2012 |access-date=2015-02-03 |archive-date=2015-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203145814/http://www.lavanguardia.com/magazine/20121108/54354891844/en-roman-paladino-alex-rodriguez-editorial-magazine.html |url-status=live }}</ref> {{lang|osp|Roman}}—and, more frequently {{lang|osp|romanz}} (and later {{lang|osp|romance}})—was used in medieval Spanish as a synonym of {{lang|osp|castellano}}, i.e. the language now commonly called [[Old Spanish language|Old Spanish]].<ref name="Kasten">Lloyd A. Kasten and Florian J. Cody, ''Tentative Dictionary of Medieval Spanish'', New York: The Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, 2001.</ref><!--I find no evidence that "romanz", "romance" etc. referred to other Romance languages; change this if such evidence can be cited.--> And {{lang|osp|paladino}} meant—in Berceo's time the same as it does today—"public, clear, obvious".<ref name="Kasten"/><ref>{{Cite web |last1=ASALE |first1=RAE- |last2=RAE |title=paladino, paladina {{!}} Diccionario de la lengua española |url=https://dle.rae.es/paladino |access-date=2022-02-27 |website=«Diccionario de la lengua española» - Edición del Tricentenario |language=es |archive-date=2021-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130153246/https://dle.rae.es/paladino |url-status=live }}</ref> (Old Spanish {{lang|osp|paladino}} existed alongside its learned cognate {{lang|osp|palatino}}, which usually referred to the [[Palatine Hill]] of Rome. Both words are derived ultimately from Latin {{lang|la|palatīnum}} "of the palace", with influence from Latin {{lang|la|palam}} "openly".) Today {{lang|es|román paladino}} is a high-sounding epithet for clear, straightforward Spanish. Recently it has been popularized in public speeches by [[Prime Minister of Spain|Spain's Prime Minister]] [[Mariano Rajoy]], who has used it frequently as an equivalent for "I will clearly state..."{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}