Diverse Ecosystems, Fascinating Cultures and Historic Lives
Today, Spanish is an official language of Spain, most Latin American countries, and Equatorial Guinea. In all, 21 nations speak it as their primary language and it is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
Obviously Spanish is an important part of our U.S. culture and heritage. With our close proximity to Mexico, it is important that we have a working knowledge of the language.
There are many ways to learn the Spanish language at South Mountain Community College. Whether it’s a short course in Speedy Spanish or traditional courses in Elementary Spanish and Spanish Conversation—or even specialized courses like Medical Spanish—we have the class that’s right for you.
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Courses
Listing of Courses
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SPA115 Beginning Spanish Conversation I
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SPA116 Beginning Spanish Conversation II
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SPA202 Intermediate Spanish II
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Fast Facts
- Spanish and English are in a virtual dead heat to be the second most spoken language in the world. As of 1999, Spanish had 332 million speakers, while English had 322 million. They were far behind Chinese, with 885 million. (If people who speak English as a second language were included, however, English would come out on top.)
- Spanish, along with French, is the official language of Equatorial Guinea, making it the only country in Africa with an official Spanish presence, although Spanish also is spoken some in Morocco. The country's official name is República de Guinea Ecuatoria.
- As of 1998, the United States has the fifth largest Hispanic population, about 30 million people. Of them, two-thirds trace their roots to Mexico, and 86 percent say Spanish is their first language.
- About 5.8 percent of the people who use the Internet speak Spanish, making it the No. 4 language in the Internet community, following:
- English (51.3 percent)
- Japanese (8.1 percent)
- German (5.9 percent)
- Chinese (5.4 percent)
- French (3.9 percent)
(Sources: Ethnologue, CIA, American Demographics, Global Reach)