Spanish language in South America

The Spanish language in South America varies within the different countries and regions of the continent.

Spanish is the most widely spoken language of the South American continent, followed closely by Portuguese.

The diverse Spanish dialects of the continent have no unifying feature to set them apart from non-South American varieties.

The Spanish of the Andean highlands is historically conservative, having some traits in common with the Spanish of central Mexico, while varieties spoken in Argentina and Venezuela share some phonological innovations with the Spanish spoken on Caribbean islands.

In some cases a single South American country—for example Colombia—presents a broad spectrum of conservative and innovative dialects.