The Story of Spanish

A rich linguistic history of the Spanish language and its progress around the globe, from the authors of The Story of French, who “do an excellent job of transforming it into an accessible and lively narrative” (Los Angeles Times).

Just how did a dialect spoken by a handful of shepherds in Northern Spain become the world’s second most spoken language, the official language of twenty-one countries on two continents, and the unofficial second language of the United States? Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow, the husband-and-wife team who chronicled the history of the French language in The Story of French, now look at the roots and spread of modern Spanish.

The story starts when the ancient Phoenicians set their sights on “The Land of the Rabbits,” Spain’s original name, which the Romans pronounced as Hispania. The Spanish language would pick up bits of Germanic culture, a lot of Arabic, and even some French on its way to taking modern form. Through characters like Queen Isabella, Christopher Columbus, Cervantes, and Goya, The Story of Spanish shows how Spain’s Golden Age, the Mexican Miracle, and the Latin American Boom shaped the destiny of the language. It explains how the United States developed its Hispanic personality from the time of the Spanish conquistadors to Latin American immigration, and also shows how fundamentally Spanish many American cultural artifacts, like the dollar sign, actually are. The Story of Spanish is the passionate and intriguing chronicle of a vibrant language that thrived conquests and setbacks to become the tongue of hundreds of millions of people throughout the world.

“Part linguistic primer, part cultural history, The Story of Spanish zips along crisply.” -Wall Street Journal

“Nadeau and Barlow once again present a thoroughly researched linguistic history. The authors cover more than 2,000 years in concise chapters with clever headings. Part anthropological study, part travelogue, this volume is an entirely compelling compendium.” —Booklist

“An engaging mix of travel, personal anecdotes, and extensive research.” —Shelf Awareness