spænska

Spænska is the Icelandic name for the Spanish language (español). It is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula from Vulgar Latin and has evolved into a wide family of dialects. Spanish is one of the world's most widely spoken languages, with hundreds of millions of native speakers and a large number of people using it as a second language. It is an official language in Spain and in many countries in Latin America, and it is widely taught in schools and universities around the world.

Linguistically, Spanish covers a broad range of dialects, with two major family groups: Peninsular Spanish (often referred to as Castilian) and the various Latin American varieties. While they share a core grammar—such as gendered nouns and a rich verb system with indicative and subjunctive moods—dialects differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and some syntax. Common features include the presence of gendered nouns and a two-way system of pronouns and verb conjugations. Phonological variation exists across dialects, including differences in consonant sounds and the pronunciation of letters like ll and y, where many dialects merge them in a phenomenon known as yeísmo.

The Spanish writing system uses the Latin alphabet with diacritics and punctuation marks such as inverted question and exclamation marks. Spelling and orthography have been standardized by the Real Academia Española (RAE), which guides norms for formal usage and lexicon. The language's global reach is reinforced by international media, literature, and education.

In Icelandic contexts, spænska serves as the term for the language itself, used in discussions of its history, varieties, and role in global communication.