The second thing we need to understand is that Spain went through a strict military dictatorship between 19. Castilian Spanish was the lingua franca imposed by the union. To this, we need to add the fact that up to eight languages coexisted in Spain. As you can imagine, political union does not necessarily entail cultural union, especially when the different cultures are backed, as was the case, by different climates and geographical features, which in turn mean different crop and cattle raising habits and traditions, which in turn mean different lifestyles and economies. Specifically, Spain as a country was constructed in the 15th century, when different kingdoms and realms were united through political manoeuvring.

I agree that these countries are vibrant communities of diversity, but more often than not, these people miss an important difference: in Canada or Australia, nationalities and cultures have been 'co-inhabiting' and brushing against each other for a few centuries, but in Spain or some other European countries, this has been happening for a few millennia.

I am always surprised that, for example, Canadians or Australians (and these are just examples, please donвЂ™t pick on them) think of their respective countries as being the epitome of multiculturalism. I have lived overseas for years, and had the opportunity to interact with multiple people from different nationalities and backgrounds. The first thing we need to understand is that Spain, like other countries in Europe, is a mosaic of cultures rather than a homogeneous mass. But so is some of the content that I found on this page. My comments were offensive in form, which I admit, and for which I apologise. This answer is also an extended and better version of a couple of comments I made to вЂ™s answer, which have been unfortunately deleted by moderators.

It is also an answer drawn from my knowledge and experience as a native speaker of SpainвЂ™s Spanish, a Spanish citizen and someone who has lived in Spain and overseas for extended periods of time. This answer is about Spain, and only about some people in Spain. In Spain, 'Castellano' is also used to refer to the official common language of the country as in some regions there are others official languages (e.g. So both terms are used for Spanish because they are synonyms, but EspaГ±ol is less ambiguous so it's preferable to use EspaГ±ol for 'Spanish' and 'Castellano' to refer to the Spanish spoken in the Spanish area of Castilla. In Spain, the name castellano is also used when referring to the common language of the state in relation to other co-official languages in their respective autonomous territories, such as Catalan, Galician, and Basque. Even though it's a synonym of espaГ±ol, it is preferable to reserve the term castellano for referring to the Romance dialect born in the Kingdom of Castile during the Middle Ages, or the Spanish dialect that is spoken today in the region. It is also the name used internationally (Spanish, espagnol, Spanisch, spagnolo, etc.). The term espaГ±ol is more advisable for lack of ambiguity, as it unequivocally refers to the language spoken today by about four hundred million people. The controversy over which of these names is more appropriate is now outdated. To designate the common language of Spain and many nations of America, and which is also spoken as their own language in other parts of the world, the terms castellano and espaГ±ol are valid. En EspaГ±a, se usa asimismo el nombre castellano cuando se alude a la lengua comГєn del Estado en relaciГіn con las otras lenguas cooficiales en sus respectivos territorios autГіnomos, como el catalГЎn, el gallego o el vasco. Aun siendo tambiГ©n sinГіnimo de espaГ±ol, resulta preferible reservar el tГ©rmino castellano para referirse al dialecto romГЎnico nacido en el Reino de Castilla durante la Edad Media, o al dialecto del espaГ±ol que se habla actualmente en esta regiГіn. Asimismo, es la denominaciГіn que se utiliza internacionalmente (Spanish, espagnol, Spanisch, spagnolo, etc.). El tГ©rmino espaГ±ol resulta mГЎs recomendable por carecer de ambigГјedad, ya que se refiere de modo unГvoco a la lengua que hablan hoy cerca de cuatrocientos millones de personas. La polГ©mica sobre cuГЎl de estas denominaciones resulta mГЎs apropiada estГЎ hoy superada. Para designar la lengua comГєn de EspaГ±a y de muchas naciones de AmГ©rica, y que tambiГ©n se habla como propia en otras partes del mundo, son vГЎlidos los tГ©rminos castellano y espaГ±ol. RAE has given this excellent article about the topic: Variedad de la lengua espaГ±ola hablada modernamente en Castilla la Vieja. Dialecto romГЎnico nacido en Castilla la Vieja, del que tuvo su origen la lengua espaГ±ola. Lengua espaГ±ola, especialmente cuando se quiere introducir una distinciГіn respecto a otras lenguas habladas tambiГ©n como propias en Lengua comГєn de EspaГ±a y de muchas naciones de AmГ©rica, hablada tambiГ©n como propia en otras partes del mundo. Let's check what RAE says about both of them:

El origen del castellano