(CNN Spanish) -
This April 23, the United Nations celebrates Spanish Language Day and Google's doodle is commemorating the letter Ñ, "the only letter of the Spanish alphabet that originated in Spain."
"The Ñ is not just a letter, but also a representation of Hispanic heritage and identity," says Google.
The doodle is the work of the artist Min, who is based in Barcelona and said that the subject was significant for him because he is “a lover of typography, so I felt special in being able to celebrate a character so little used in languages other than Spanish ».
Min said that he hopes that through his illustration with geometric shapes and colors present in the flags of Spanish-speaking countries, people will receive the message that "language is a living organism and part of our identity."
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"Our differences are what make us unique," added Min.
The history of the Ñ began with the Spanish scribes of the 12th century, Google said in its statement on the doodle.
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“While hand-copying Latin manuscripts, these medieval scholars devised a plan to save time and parchment by shortening words with double letters.
They combined the two figures into one and drew a small 'n' at the top, a symbol now known as a tilde or tilde, to indicate the change.
Therefore, 'annus', in Latin, became the Spanish 'year', ”he says.
The letter was officially incorporated into the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy in 1803 and Spain passed legislation that protected the inclusion of the Ñ in computer keyboards "due to its irrepressible cultural meaning," explains Google.
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Since April 23, 2010, the United Nations celebrates that day the Spanish language, one of the most widely spoken in the world.
"Today, the letter Ñ appears in more than 17,700 words in Spanish, marking a fundamental role within the Hispanic language and culture," the statement said.
This doodle appears in Spain, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina , Uruguay and the Philippines.
But it can also be viewed anywhere in the world and in the future in the Google Doodles archive online.
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