Mexico language. Is there a Mexican language? All about Spanish

The second article of the basic law of this country defines it as a multicultural state that recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to preserve and develop their own dialects and dialects, and therefore there is no official state language of Mexico. But most residents of the country of tequila and cacti still prefer Spanish.

Some statistics and facts

The Mexican government recognizes the existence of 68 national languages as additional languages to Spanish.
From 10 to 15 percent of the country's residents, according to various sources, consider themselves Indians.
In total, the country is home to about 6 million people who are native speakers.
The largest group of indigenous speakers are descendants of Indians who speak Nahuatl.
The first attempts to introduce Spanish into Mexico were made in the 16th century.
Over the 150 years from the beginning of the 19th to the mid-20th century, the number of Mexicans speaking ancestral languages decreased from 60% to 6% of the total population of the country.

The percentage of Mexican citizens who speak English is quite large. This is due to the close proximity and frequent seasonal work of Mexicans in factories and farms in the United States.

Lost in translation

Even visitors to Mexico who speak modern Spanish may experience certain difficulties in understanding here. Certain changes have occurred in the system of local Spanish, as a result of which the sound of individual sounds is only vaguely reminiscent today of the classics of the language widespread in the Pyrenees. At the same time, some linguists believe official language Mexico is very conservative, since in everyday use it has preserved words that the Spaniards have considered archaisms for two hundred years and no longer use in their own speech.

Note to tourists

When traveling to Mexico, be prepared for the fact that English-speaking hotel or restaurant staff are only found in major cities and tourist resorts. In places where independent travelers prefer to navigate their routes, the percentage of such polyglots is negligible. The menu in a cafe away from the main streets of even the capital no longer contains the names of dishes in English, and it will be impossible to explain your gastronomic preferences to the waiter.
In general, a Russian-Spanish phrasebook on a trip can make a tourist’s life much easier, especially since Mexicans are very sociable, open and friendly.

Mexico is very popular among tourists from all over the world. This state is known not only for a huge number of various attractions, but also for its developed tourist infrastructure. In addition, Mexico, although not often, is chosen as a country for immigration. Of course, in order to feel comfortable in this country, you need to know what language is spoken in Mexico.

Mexican Spanish

The United Mexican States is a multicultural state that recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to maintain and develop their own dialects. The main language in the country is Spanish – it is spoken by about 90% of the population. To understand why Spanish is spoken in Mexico, you need to look at history. In 1521, Spanish colonialists arrived in Mexico City (formerly Tenochtitlan), who introduced and spread their language throughout the state. As a result of intensive interracial contacts and the birth of children (mixed race), the Creole (Mexican) Spanish language began to form.

Mexican Spanish is the most widely spoken variety of Spanish. He is understood not only in his historical homeland, but throughout Latin America, as well as in the USA. However, Spanish and mexican language and are not the same thing. Thus, the formation of Mexican Spanish was significantly influenced by its proximity to the United States.

Mexican Spanish – native language in Mexico. It is spoken by approximately 125 million people. Of these, more than 100 million live in the state itself and about 25 million in the United States (mainly in the border areas of Texas, California, Arizona, etc.).

National language of Mexico

The United Mexican States pursues a policy of bilingualism - this is stated in the country's Constitution. Therefore, speaking about which language is the official language in Mexico, it should be noted that the government of the country recognizes, in addition to Spanish, 68 more local dialects. At the same time, many consider Spanish to be the official language. However, this is an erroneous opinion, since there is no such definition in the country’s legislation.

When answering the question of which language is the official one in Mexico, one should again turn to the country’s Constitution, which states that due to the multinationality of the state, Spanish and local dialects have equal rights as official languages.

And this despite the fact that dialects are spoken by only 6% of the population.

In 2003, the Mexican Congress adopted a decision to support the law on the linguistic rights of indigenous peoples, which established the right of the local population to use their native speech when communicating with authorities and preparing official documents. And yet the de facto national language in this state is Spanish.

Dialects of local languages in Mexico

Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the United Mexican States local residents spoke Indian languages. However, this had virtually no effect on the grammatical and phonological level of Spanish, although linguists still recognize their influence on the lexical composition of speech.

The most common Indian languages in Mexico are:

Nahuatl (Aztec group);
Yucatecan (from the group of languages of the Mayan Indians);

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Mixtec;
Zapotec;
Tzeltalian;
Tzotzil

There are 364 different dialects in the state, with significant differences. For example, Nahuatl is the language of the Aztec empire. It is spoken by about one and a half million people. However, it is highly fragmented geographically. But the largest adjacent dialect is Yucatecan, which is spoken by about 800 thousand people. It is used on the Yucatan Peninsula. Therefore, it is quite difficult to answer unequivocally what language is spoken in Mexico.

Other popular languages

The United Mexican States is one of the most developed countries in Latin America, which annually attracts a huge number of tourists from all over the world. Therefore, for those who have never been to this country, it is important to know what other language, besides Spanish, is understood in this state.

Eg, English language in Mexico it is not common in all states, and you need to be prepared for this. However, recently, thanks to the active development of the tourism sector and an increase in the level of service to travelers, employers have begun to attach great importance Applicants for work in restaurants and hotels must speak English, Italian, German, French and Portuguese. Moreover, in some luxury hotel complexes the staff even speak Russian.

When going on a trip, tourists are interested in what is the main language in Mexico City. As throughout the state, the vast majority of residents speak Spanish. However, in this city you can also meet many people who speak English. The same goes for other cities such as Palenque, Villahermosa, Campeche and Cancun. But if you go to the south, then knowledge of Spanish is already necessary.

It should be noted that most excursions and entertainment events specially prepared for tourists are conducted in English.

Spanish language courses

Mexico is a leader in providing Spanish learning opportunities in Latin America, with students from all over the world taking Spanish courses here. Language schools and courses provide an opportunity not only to learn Spanish quickly and effectively, but also to become better acquainted with the culture of this distant state.

Language schools in the United Mexican States are located in Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen. They offer various programs, but the standard and intensive courses are in greatest demand.

Mexico: Video

Mexico is one of ancient countries with a rich history and numerous peoples who have lived on its territory since ancient times. It ranks third after the United States in terms of the number of people living on its territory.

Initially, Indians lived in this country; this continued for many thousands of years until it was settled by Africans and settlers from Europe. This determined the current composition of the country's population, the vast majority of which are mestizos and mulattoes, born as a result of mixing of blood and international marriages. Therefore, there are many languages spoken in modern Mexico.

In contact with

Tourists who are preparing to travel to this country often wonder what language is the official language, what dialects are still spoken by the local population, and whether it is possible to communicate with Mexicans in English.

Short story

To understand Mexico's linguistic diversity, let's look at its history. The Indians, who mostly inhabited the entire territory of the country until the 16th century, spoke a huge number of Mexican dialects, their number reaching several dozen. Dialects and national languages differed from each other in different regions of the country. So, residents of the center of the country said in Maaya language, and in the north the most common was Navajo. However, after the active settlement of the country by Europeans began in the 16th century, the overwhelming majority of the population began to speak in Spanish already by 1750 - 60.

During the settlement process, Europeans brought not only their languages to Mexico, but also diseases that affected the indigenous population. there was no immunity. Infant mortality increased among the local population, which could not but affect the numerical ratio of the different peoples of Mexico. This caused a sharp decline in the number of Indians. However, the remaining indigenous population did not stop speaking their languages, and the Spaniards did not have the goal of getting rid of Indian dialects. Therefore, to this day, the ancient Mexican dialects of the local population exert their influence on the generally accepted national one and give it a unique color.

In modern Mexico share of adverbs and Indian alphabets is about 8–10%, which is quite a lot.

Even Spanish in Mexico has its own peculiarity. It is similar to the Spanish spoken in Madrid itself four centuries ago, because in the Mexican territories it has not received such active development as in its native Spain. Because of this, the seemingly same language in these two countries is very different. This is associated with the emergence of such a concept as “Mexican Spanish”.

Although the majority believes that Spanish is the official language of the country, there is no such clause in Mexican legislation. The constitution states that due to the multinationality of the country, Spanish and Mexican languages act on equal terms as official.

Most of the population, of course, speaks Spanish. Arriving in this country, you may not hear any other speech at all, the Spanish language is so widespread here. However, at the state level in this country, the right of indigenous peoples to submit official documents and requests to government agencies in Mexican languages is enshrined, and the government agency is obliged to provide answers to them to the population.

Modern Spanish in Mexico is a mixture of dialects that emerged as a result of mixing with local dialects and became a kind of cultural heritage of this country. It is spoken by about 130 million people, not only at home, but also in the United States. This number is even higher than the number of speakers in Spain. Approximately 30 million people abroad continue to speak and develop their native language. In the USA they are even introducing educational programs and Spanish language courses.

Mexican local languages and dialects

In Mexico, the indigenous population continues to use Mexican dialects and dialects. Now there are about 7 million people in the state who do not use Spanish in their speech. This is quite an impressive figure, even though twice as many people define themselves as Indians.

Most often, the local population speaks the following Mexican dialects:

In Mexico, the historically established division of dialects and dialects throughout the country remains. In the south you can most often hear from locals Nahuatl in the states of Morelos, Hildago and others. The majority of the population speaking this dialect lives in rural areas. It continues to be spoken by about one and a half million people and is the most widespread among Mexican languages.

About 800 thousand people still continue to speak Maaya Taan dialect, which remained a legacy from the Mayan civilization. This dialect even spread to other states. Previously, it was spoken only in its homeland - the Yucotan Peninsula, and later, as a result of migrations and relocations, it appeared in Guatemala and other neighboring countries.

Mixtec language ranks third among the surviving Mexican dialects in terms of prevalence. It is spoken by about 500 thousand Mexicans living in the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca.

At the state level, it is stipulated that all Mexicans can speak any native language, and their total number is more than 60. There are also very few, but in Mexico even a special direction has been allocated by law for the maintenance and development of ancient local dialects, and educational and cultural events are held.

Do Mexicans speak English?

English is the most international language, so before traveling to this state, tourists often look for information about whether it is spoken in Mexico.

Of course, Mexico is actively developing, and the young population speaks English well and even in Portuguese and French. Therefore, if you only know English and you need to ask something on the street, Mexicans will understand you and will be able to help and explain something.

Tourism in the country is developing, and when recruiting personnel for restaurants and hotels, employers pay attention to ensuring that the candidate knows foreign languages:

Russian tourists may be pleasantly surprised that in some luxury hotels or restaurants the staff will communicate with them in Russian! All entertainment events and excursions prepared specifically for tourists are conducted in English, so there should be no language barrier. In any case, sign language helps out in different situations, even now, when people travel a lot and visit countries with a new culture.

Despite the colloquial differences in the population of Mexico, all its inhabitants are united by their love for their country and an incredibly colorful culture, which attracts many tourists to the country every year.

Mexico is a country ancient civilizations. For many millennia, numerous Indian tribes lived on its territory. Modern ethnic composition formed from the indigenous population, European settlers and Africans imported from the sixteenth century to work on plantations. More than half of the population are mestizos and mulattoes, descendants of mixed marriages. In this regard, many are interested in what language is the official language in Mexico. To answer this question, let's look at history.

Historical reference

Until the sixteenth century, the territory of modern Mexico was inhabited by Indian tribes who spoke several dozen languages. Of these, the most widespread were the Navajo in the north, Nahuatl and Maya in the center. Many others were also used, all of which had a significant impact on the Spanish language, which was originally spoken only by a small stratum of administrators, officials, conquistadors, and Spanish settlers who made up about five percent of the population.

However, thanks to intensive interracial contacts, already in the seventeenth century, for the bulk of Mexicans, Spanish became the main means of communication.

Influence of Indian languages

Unlike the United States, Mexico has never resorted to a policy of genocide against the indigenous population. After the number of Indians sharply declined due to diseases introduced by Europeans, their numbers stabilized already in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. And in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the number of people speaking Amerindian languages increased quite significantly, although their overall share of the population continued to decline as the number of Spanish-speaking mestizos grew even more rapidly. Yet the official language of Mexico is still significantly influenced by Indian dialects, which are still spoken by seven to ten percent of the population.

Many Mexicanisms, words, grammatical and phonetic phrases that are characteristic of spoken Spanish in Mexico are directly explained by the influence of autochthonous languages.

Mexico City - capital of New Spain

Another important factor in the formation of Mexican Spanish is the status of Mexico City itself (formerly Tenochtitlan), a city that was the capital of New Spain throughout three centuries. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries many people arrived here from Madrid. Therefore, Mexican Spanish, like American English, is mainly based on the corresponding European counterpart.
In Spain itself, the language continued to develop further, but in Mexico it seemed to freeze after the country gained independence at the beginning of the nineteenth century and began to form independently.

Mexico. Spanish

Spanish in Mexico is a group of dialects, dialects and sociolects that make up a distinct variant of Spanish, based on language norms the Mexican capital - Mexico City, which is the literary standard for this option.

When talking about what language is spoken in Mexico, it should be noted that in most regions of the country, Spanish close to the metropolitan norm is used, with the exception of the special dialects of Chiapas (Central American Spanish) and Yucatan (Yucatan Spanish, which is based on the Caribbean variant).

Mexican Spanish is the native language of approximately 125 million people, over 100 million of whom live in Mexico and approximately 25 million in the United States, mainly in the border areas of California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. This variant of Spanish is the only one official language at the federal level, and also, along with many Indian dialects, one of the official ones at the state level.

Now you know what language is spoken in Mexico. It is worth noting that Mexican Spanish, among other things, is the basis for the Spanish language in the United States, widely used in education and the media. It is also the most widely spoken language variety of Spanish in the world, as it is the native language of the vast majority of Mexicans, who make up about 29 percent of Spanish speakers worldwide.

Phonological and other features

It is not enough to know what language is spoken in Mexico; you also need to have an idea of a number of changes taking place in the language system. Thus, linguistic territories are expanding in the country (similar to what happened in Spain, when Spanish replaced other languages that existed in Iberian Peninsula), changes of a phonological nature occur (the letter j begins to be pronounced differently, the sound [θ] gradually disappears and changes to [s], they adapt phonetically words borrowed from Indian dialects).

Those who first encountered the modern Mexican version of Spanish note its “conservativeness.” IN works of art Spanish writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries contain words that are today considered archaisms in Spain and are almost unrecognizable by native speakers or are used very rarely. However, in the Mexican version they are not perceived as archaic and continue to be used.

In the article we talked about what language is spoken in Mexico. We hope you find this information useful. All the best!