• Ñ is considered a letter in its own right, with its own name (eñe) and its own place in the alphabet (after N).
• Ñ arose as an abbreviation of “nn”: the tilde was shorthand for the second “n”. For example, the Spanish word año (year) is derived from Latin ANNVS
• The Morse Code symbol allocated for this character is — — · — —
• Ñ is used in a number of English words of Spanish origin, such as jalapeño, piña colada, and piñata.
• The Spanish word cañón became the English word canyon, although adapting ñ to “nn” was more common in English, as in the phrase “Battle of Corunna”.
• Ñ has come to represent the identity of the Spanish language. Latino publisher Bill Teck labeled Hispanic culture and its influence on the United States “Generation Ñ” and started a magazine later with that name.

How do I know? Because I’m learning Spanish…

My level of proficiency is definitely still a beginner. So in many ways this blog serves as a way for me to make notes as I continue learning and improving my skills.

Okay, so to kick off this blog, what exactly is a gringo?

Well the origin of the word is uncertain with many theories. Some Spanish speakers (in Latin American countries) say that a gringo is only someone from North America (USA). Others apply the term to all foreigners. One plausible explanation is that it comes from the word Griego – the Spanish word for “Greek”. This fits with the English saying “it’s all Greek to me” when referring to hearing a foreign language being spoken. For more information on this see the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gringo