Gabriel García Márquez speaks of the Spanish language
THE DICTIONARIES
«In my library there is a shelf full of dictionaries. My relationship with them is very particular: I consult them, but never before writing, but after having done it. And the funny thing is that we almost always coincide. Of course, sometimes I have strong arguments with the dictionary, but usually I end up winning myself or doing my bidding.»
THE FUTURE OF SPANISH
«Spanish will have the destiny of Latin: to be the mother of languages. I know Latin America very well and I lead a film workshop in Cuba where there is always one student from every Hispanic country on this continent. Well, one of them recently told me that I speak Latin American Esperanto. He was right: since I know all the accents, I am careful to speak in a way that all my students understand. "
THE COUNTRIES THAT SPEAK THE BEST SPANISH
«It cannot be said in which place a better Spanish is spoken, because there is not one Castilian, but many. What I do know is that the worst Spanish is spoken in Madrid. In my opinion, the most expressive Spanish is that of Mexico, which is, at the same time, the most impure. The Mexicans made a mixture of Spanish and pre-Columbian Nahuatle, with the result that they did not learn Spanish at all, nor did they completely forget Nahuatle. This is how Mexican was born, which is a more expressive language than the others, because in certain cases it contains two languages. "
THE SPANISH OF YOUR COUNTRY
«We Colombians say that we speak the best Spanish in the world, but that is nonsense. The language that the academies preserve is a class language. There are certain elegant houses in Bogotá that try to preserve the purest Castilian Spanish of the Golden Age and it turns out that this is wonderful for their visits, but it does not help them to buy anything in the store. "
SPANISH FROM SPAIN
“Spain has never been so far from Latin America as it is with her current Spanish. And with the passage of time the difference will be greater, because after NATO and the European Economic Community, Spanish will have to open up even more to the influences of other European languages. Although it is repeated that Spain will be the spokesperson for Latin America in Europe, I see that in terms of language, Spanish will become Germanized, Anglicized and French. "
THE FUTURE OF SPANISH
«In a hundred years, Latin America will be Bolívar's Latin America: a regional unity affirmed on the values of each country. Even Brazil will have fully integrated into that Latin America and its Portuguese will be one of the sister languages of the region. Despite the differences, there will be a Spanish with which we will all understand. And, as for Spain, there is no reason to be alarmed, because with it we have always understood each other, even in Spanish, and we will end up understanding each other in a hundred years' time."