The Roman Empire was one of the greatest political regimes in history. At one of their greatest heights around the third century, they had control over 45 million people. With their centralized control of the army, the Greek-Roman way of thinking, culture and religion became predominant in virtually all of the territory controlled by the Italian city.
To keep united as an only entity for about a thousand years across Europe and some parts of Asia, the Roman Empire needed a key element that now is common in all countries. Between all the celtics, germanics, iberians, numidians, balearics, gauls, illyrics, arabs and romans that live.
The details may vary slightly, but the history of a vast majority of countries as separate political entities or as a nation with common values and a defined grouping of people begins from the disintegration of that empire, including the history of Latin America.
Yes, Latin America, the part of South America that every time it appears in the headlines, it’s not usually a good thing. The very name of Latin America refers to the Latin-speaking America, or more specifically, Latin-derived languages, which expanded throughout the world, thanks in part to the intervention of the Roman armored legions.
Leaving aside the small lesson of history, Latin America remains an ambiguous concept. Although the 20 countries within the region are well defined, it isn’t so clear why people generalize them like that. Because in the end, even though Latin America has a lot in common, there are also stark differences.
We can agree that, in general, Spanish is the common language of Latin America. It is true that in Brazil and Haiti, Portuguese and French are spoken respectively, and also that in several countries there coexist an infinity of indigenous languages with a significant number of active speakers, which negates the myth of ancient dead languages.
Spanish is not only one of the most popular languages in the world, it is also one of the most official languages among different countries. Many languages have a large number of speakers, but spread across a single country or a few. Examples include Hindi and Mandarin.
English is official in 64 countries, practically all of the former British colonies, according to the CIA Factbook, which explains why it is the preferred language at the diplomatic and commercial level.
But that has a downside, which is that most English speakers do not feel it is an intrinsic part of their culture. Considering native speakers, several countries where English is the official language share limited additional cultural elements. Some of the connections the U.S and Australia have despite being former British colonies is that they speak English.
Take for example, Nigeria and the U.S or Australia and Belize. These four countries are all in different corners of the planet and all of them have really different costumes and culture. In Nigeria people speak English, but also other indigenous languages, while most of those languages are dead in Australia.
The only bond that unites these countries is that they were former colonies of the British Empire, but not even in the same dates. Nigeria was established as a colony in 1914, even when there was British presence since 1880’s, while the U.S declared its independence from the British Empire in 1776.
This is where Spanish stands out, since it connects roughly 20 countries sharing the same language, but also a very similar culture. In fact, Latin America is one of the most united regions on the planet, with all countries sharing many passions. Sometimes an exception is made with Brazil, though, who shares a table with everyone when it comes to sports.
There is another concept that is also important, and it involves Hispanic America, Spanish-speaking nations in America and Spain. These regions all have similar history, culture and even trivial things such as passion for football. An example includes the Copa Libertadores de América – “Liberators of the Americas Cup” – which is one of the most competitive and iconic tournaments in the world.
Spanish is not just any other language; it is the connection of an entire region and the symbol of union stronger than any other, which is why it’s worth learning. It is not only a language that can be used abroad but is also very useful within the U.S.
In turn, speaking Spanish can be a sign of respect toward Latin Americans who, for one reason or another, are here.
Part of the experience of emigrating is having to adapt to a new environment, with a new language, new culture and new gastronomy. For those who were forced to emigrate, every rock in the road is the weight of the home they left behind, and it’s a reminder of how much they were wrong about their first idea of where they were going.
Usually it’s the small details that weigh most in this kind of stage in life. Many people can’t imagine how comforting it is to an immigrant to hear a “Hola” instead of Hello or good morning. Those little details could give the strength to go on for the next weeks against any adversities they could face.
Therefore, no matter how useful it is to learn Spanish, or how intellectual a person who speaks two languages may seem, learning Spanish can lighten the burden on an immigrant. The sense of joy and nostalgia a person may feel after listening to their language for months is indescribable and can often be the difference.
