#24: King with a Lisp
Spanish TV shows are becoming more and more popular on Netflix, and you may have noticed characters on these shows speaking with a distinct and endearing lisp. According to the story, people in Spain speak with a lisp due to a historical desire not to embarrass a lisp-having king is a fascinating linguistic myth. This legend likely emerged from a combination of historical events and linguistic evolution.
In the early 19th century, King Ferdinand VII of Spain had a notable speech impediment, which influenced the way the court pronounced certain words. Over time, this royal pronunciation could have contributed to regional accents and dialects. However, the Spanish lisp or “ceceo” existed long before Ferdinand VII and wasn’t a deliberate choice. It’s a natural linguistic phenomenon where “s” and “z” sounds are pronounced with a th-like “th” sound.