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In reply to the discussion: I'm bored. Post here some random, obscure fact that I might find interesting [View all]DFW
(54,622 posts)Basque is the oldest, followed by the Galician Celtic language, and Catalan--which the whole east of Spain would have ended up speaking if the Arabs hadn't invaded the south and center, and stayed for 700 years--has written texts that pre-date texts in "Spanish (correct: Castilian)" by at least a century. The vulgar Latin spoken in the Iberian peninsula was evolving when the Arabs invaded, and in areas where they established themselves, the emerging language of the locals got heavily influenced by their Arab occupiers. In the part of Spain where I used to live, no one ever asks if you understand or speak "Spanish/español," but rather if you speak or understand "castellano (Castilian)." The local language in the part of Spain where I used to live is not that. Where I used to live, the local language was (and still is) Catalan (català), which is similar to medieval southern French (Langue d'Oc). So, whenever anyone asks me if I speak "Spanish," I usually ask which one (neuk piskat Euskera aitxutendot).
Is THAT obscure and useless enough for you?