Spanish is a Romance language. It evolved over centuries in Spain, but is now natively spoken in many Latin American countries, among other nations. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Spanish are Italian, Sicilian, Galician, Portuguese, and Venetian.
- Italian (86.0)
Spain and Italy are both Mediterranean countries. Italian is the national language of Italy. It It shares significant vocabulary and grammatical structures with Spanish, leading to some mutual intelligibility. Their close linguistic relationship stems from their shared heritage, stemming from the Roman Empire’s influence. - Sicilian (85.9)
Sicilian is spoken on the island of Sicily, in Southern Italy. Spain controlled Sicily for a period of time during the Spanish Empire (particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries). This period of Spanish rule introduced Spanish influence to Sicilian. As a result, Sicilian and Spanish share many cognates and similar grammar. - Galician (85.7)
In northwestern Spain, Galician is spoken in the region of Galicia, an autonomous community of Spain. It closely resembles Spanish, sharing similarities in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. The proximity of the two languages has allowed for an abundance of mutual influence over time. - Portuguese (83.3)
Portugal is one Spain’s western border. Portuguese is the national language of Portugal and Brazil. As a result of its proximity, the language shares a high degree of similarity with Spanish in vocabulary and grammar. The two languages are somewhat mutually intelligible, facilitating communication between its speakers. - Venetian (80.4)
Venetian is spoken in the Veneto region of Italy and has close ties to Italian and other Romance languages, including Spanish. Venetian and Spanish share similarities in vocabulary and some grammatical structures due to their Latin roots. In fact, Venice was a major center of trade and commerce, connecting various parts of Europe.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)
