¡Ay bendito! The No. 1 song in America is sung in Spanish

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By Ana Johnson, CNN – June 2, 2017

 Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee perform ‘Despacito’ with contestant Mark Isaiah in ‘The Voice’ finale.

(CNN)A wall may go up between the United States and its Spanish-speaking neighbor to the south, but nothing can stop the success of the nation’s current No. 1 hit song, which is mostly in … Español.

The song “Despacito,” by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi and reggaetón star Daddy Yankee is number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the third week in a row (it also features Justin Bieber). Although Latin influence in pop culture is not new, there hasn’t been a Spanish language song in the top spot since “Macarena” in 1996.
But “Despacito” which means slowly in Spanish, is far from a gimmicky dance craze song. Instead, the Latin pop and urban love song have Spanish and non-Spanish speakers singing “ay bendito.”
Twitter user  @hannahjmurray says, “I’d be lying if I said my white self didn’t try and learn the lyrics to despacito.”
Fonsi has a hard time explaining the success of his song. “I don’t know the exact reason why this particular song has connected with a worldwide audience, especially with those who don’t understand Spanish … I just wanted to write a great song.”
While “Despacitio” has broken language and cultural barriers in the United States, some minorities, nonetheless, are feeling racial anxiety because of this particular moment in American politics.
“It’s an interesting time we’re living in. Just when you think we’re living in a bit of a divided world, music is bringing us together, no matter the language! That’s what I’m most proud of,” Fonsi says.
Daddy Yankee credits music as a universal language, bringing people together regardless of background or skin color. “People are more receptive to learn … connect and exchange their opinions in the digital world and learn more from one another,” Daddy Yankee says.
“Despacito” also leads Billboard’s streaming songs chart with 65.4 million streams and digital song sales of 137,000 downloads.
The music video was filmed in the streets of Puerto Rico, featuring locals playing dominoes and dancing. Fonsi told CNNE he wanted to show those who aren’t familiar with the culture of how cheerful Latinos are and how prevalent music is in their daily lives. The woman turning heads in the video is Miss Universe 2006, Puerto Rican actress and model Zuleyka Rivera.
“It has a feel-good vibe, with a great beat that provides an escape from some of our everyday issues and I think everybody can relate to that,” Fonsi says. “The main lyric is also easy to sing along to…des-pa-cito,” he adds.
Read the original news here:  Original News

Reasons to Learn Spanish

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Out of all of the other languages, why is it important to study Spanish? Why not go for Russian, French, or Italian as they appear to so good these days, mainly if you are a US citizen. However, due to the increasing number of Latin Americans, the ability to converse in a language that is extensively used could be a priceless advantage.

More schools are becoming bilingual, with the Spanish language being emphasized. There are also some locations around the country, for instance, Miami, where more Spanish speakers are living there than native English speakers. The Spanish language is among the most widely used worldwide, though the exact position is hard to determine, as so many people who speak Spanish also speak another language.

The majority of the Latin American countries, particularly in South and Central America, speak Spanish with an increasing number of individuals living in the US. That is nearly a whole hemisphere filled with the Spanish language! There is also Spain, obviously, and while their Spanish may be somewhat different from the Spanish in Latin America, it is still Spanish, and learning one makes the other much more comfortable to pick up.

The unfortunate issue is that native speakers of English find it very easy to be lazy. Tourism is geared up for English speakers, and English is the most spoken language in the world, making it difficult to muster up the motivation to learn a new language. However, being bilingual can really up to your job prospects, for one thing. It can also provide you with a chance to live and work in the country, which may be an unavailable option otherwise. It provides an alternative option for work and home, and with the many countries today that can speak Spanish, it gives a lot of people with several opportunities.

Statistics of Spanish

In the worldwide statistics, Spanish ranks in as the third most spoken language, after Mandarin Chinese and English and positions as second, with regards to the number of native speakers. At the end of the 19th century, there were 60 million individuals who spoke Spanish. In the present day, there are nearly 500 million individuals around the world who can speak Spanish.

Spanish is the native language of about 388 million individuals in 21 countries, including in Mexico, the USA, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Peru. It is extensively used also in locations where this language is unofficial but very popular. Hispanic customers are the speediest growing market section in North America. Their residents in the US have increased by 60 percent in just a decade. This language is the second most used in international communication and is one of the official languages of the UN, along with its associates.

Economic Markers

There are 29 million US occupants over five years old who speak Spanish at home. That is about one of every ten US occupants, a vast customer, and trade market. The world is turning multilingual, with Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese seemingly becoming the main languages of the future. Nobody is conscious of the changing tides of trade more than those that are working in global markets. Thus, foreign language proficiency is an essential advantage for job hunters as there is an increasing number of businesses trading internationally, and more jobs in the future are opening up to enable trade on this level.

Cultural Markers

Latin culture carries on influencing globally with matters like on architecture, literature, and art. Who is not familiar with Cervantes ‘Don Quijote de la Macha’, which is the second most translated book after the Bible? Who has not learned about the most expensive painting that was ever sold, which was painted by Picasso?

Santiago Calatrava is the Spanish architect that continues to make his mark throughout the world, with modern and up to date projects in Germany, Ireland, Sweden, and the Olympic campus in Athens, as well as the site of the world trade center found in New York. The Spanish language authors such as Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez go on leading the global bestseller lists as well as gaining international critical praise.

Better Comprehension of English

The majority of the English language has a Latin origin, most of them originating by way of French. Since Spanish is the Latin language as well, you will see when studying Spanish that you will have a better comprehension of your native lexicon. Likewise, English and Spanish share Indo-European origins; this is the reason why their grammar is alike. There is probably no other efficient method of understanding English than by learning the grammar of another language, for the comprehension will force you to reflect on how a particular language is structured. It is not odd, for instance, to acquire an understanding of English tenses, moods, and verbs by studying how these are to be applied in Spanish.