April 23 is celebrated as Spanish Language Day
Spanish language is the second most spoken language in the world and the world celebrates the Spanish Language Day on April 23 to honor the most revered writer in the Spanish language, Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra.
The Spanish language originated in Spain and presently over 450 million native speakers in the world speak Spanish.
While Chinese language remains the most spoken language in the world, Spanish follows it on second rank and is the third most studied language in the world, behind English and French.
About 75 million people in the world speak Spanish as their second language.
Not surprisingly, Mexico is the most Spanish-speaking country in the world. Spanish is the official language for 19 other countries.
History
In 2010, the United Nations introduced six language days to bring consideration to the past, culture, and accomplishments of each of the languages.
Nominating April 23 for Spanish Language Day, it honoured the celebrated Spanish author and poet, Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra. His superb novel, Don Quixote, has been translated into more than 60 languages. Spanish Language Day honours the day of Cervantes death which was on April 23, 1616.
Interesting Spanish Language Facts
Spanish is considered as Romance language too which is derived from Vulgar Latin. The Muslim rule in Spain during the Middle Ages has left its mark on the Spanish language, as a lot of Arabic words were unified into Spanish.
