Spanish is now the third most widely spoken language in the world after English and Chinese. This book traces how and why Spanish has arrived at this position, examining its role in the diverse societies where it is spoken from Europe to the Americas. Providing a comprehensive survey of language issues in the Spanish-speaking world, the book outlines the historical roots of the emergence of Spanish or Castilian as the dominant language, analyzes the situation of minority language groups, and traces the role of Spanish and its colonial heritage in Latin America. The book is structured in four sections: Spanish as a national language: conflict and hegemony Legislation and the realities of linguistic diversity Language and education The future of Spanish. Throughout the book Clare Mar-Molinero asks probing questions such as: How does language relate to power? What is its link with identity? What is the role of language in nation-building? Who decides how language is taught?

About the Author
Clare Mar-Molinero is head of Spanish Studies at Southampton University. An experienced author, Clare Mar-Molinero's previous publications include The Spanish-Speaking World (Routledge) and the BBC course Paso Doble.

Reviews

'The book is readable, clearly-structured and informative. It will provide many readers with an awakening to unfamiliar issues and possibly a stimulus for further investigation.' - - Kathryn Crameri, Lancaster University

'... an extremely useful contribution to the fields of Spanish linguistics and Spanish applied linguistics ... an outstanding point of departure for further study and research on the complex and intriguing natire of the Spanish language in the twenty-first century.' - Manel Lacorte, University of Maryland, Applied Linguistics

Book Information
ISBN 9780415156554
Author Clare Mar-Molinero
Format Paperback
Page Count 260
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 470g