Spanish is now the third most widely spoken language in the world after English and Chinese. This new book traces how and why Spanish has arrived at this position, examining its role in the diverse societies where it is spoken from Europe to the Americas.
Providing a comprehensive survey of language issues in the Spanish-speaking world, the book outlines the historical rooots of the emergence of Spanish or Castilian as the dominant language, analyzes the situation of minority language groups, and traces the role of Spanish and its colonial heritage in Latin America. Throughout the book Clare Mar-Molinero asks probing questions such as: How does language relate to power? What is its link with identity? What is the role of language in nation-building? Who decides how language is taught? This unique study is invaluable for anyone with an interest in Spain and the Spanish language.

Introduction PART I Spanish as national language: conflict and hegemony 1 Language and nationalism 2 The 'Castilianisation' process-the emergence of Spanish as dominant language 3 Counter-nationalism and the other languages of the Spanish-speaking world PART II Legislation and the realities of linguistic diversity 4 Language rights, language policies, and Language Planning 5 The state and language policies in the contemporary Spanish-speaking world PART III Language and education, 6 Bilingual education, literacy and the role of language in education systems 7 Latin American educational policies in the struggle for linguistic rights 8 Politics, language and the Spanish education system PART IV Language politics in the new millennium: the outlook for Spanish 9 Spanish as minority language 10 Spanish in a global era

Clare Mar-Molinero is head of Spanish Studies at Southampton University. An experienced author, Clare Mar-Molinero's previous publications include The Spanish-Speaking World (Routledge) and the BBC course Paso Doble.