“Spanish” does not refer to any linguistic reality, it’s an adjective used to deny identity since the planting of geopolitical colonial cultures opposed to free linguistic cultures. In Spain, by law, the official language is CASTELLANO, Castilian in Engish…There are various Castilians. [Some] examples: Castilian from river Plate, Castilian from the Pacific, Castilian from the Caribbean, Castilian from USA. So could you please explain [why one should] maintain the wrong linguistic name in South America, Caribbean and North America for that language? What [is] the impediment to recognize something that breaks stereotypes and may teach some people, at least the proper name of their linguistic identity?
I appreciate this visitor’s taking the time to visit my blog and leave a comment. She expressed a perspective that I wasn’t familiar with. And as a native speaker (she’s Argentinian) she certainly has more “standing” on this issue than I do.
To some extent, this visitor was preaching to the choir. When I speak Spanish I often say castellano instead of español. This is partly because it’s normal usage, and partly because I love the reality that, as the commenter also mentioned, “siete idiomas se hablan en España y son todos ‘españoles'” (“7 languages are spoken in Spain and all of them are ‘Spanish'”).
However, I disagree with her comment on several counts. First, if one objects to “Spanish” on anti-colonial grounds, how is “Castilian” any better? The term “Castellano” or “Castilian” comes from the Castilian region of Spain, after all. If a Québécois were to resent France, would it make him any happier if the French language were called “Parisian”?
Second, it’s a hard, cold fact that language names come from country names. Should these be reconsidered whenever a country has engaged in colonial behavior in the past? Should we look for a geographically neutral name for Portuguese? For English? As a red-blooded American I’m proud to speak “English”, and embrace the entire history of my own amazing language, warts and all.
Finally, in the specific case of “Spanish”, even if the commenter were 100% in the right, the word is too entrenched in the English language to be changed. We have Spanish dictionaries, classes, departments, linguists 🙂 and so on. Trying to change this would be…well, like tilting at windmills.
Please keep the comments coming! My blog is still relatively new, and I do hope that many people will participate.