Greg,
I barely understand French, but I did get what you meant in a sense.
here's an website about old spanish; and the pronunciation NOT used in
Modern Spanish. Note: that "coraçon" in old-spanish was pronounced very similarily to latin-american spanish
corazon (latin american spanish, "corason") >-s- written:z
coraçon (old spanish, "coratson") >-ts- usually written:ç
corazon (modern castilian, "corathon") >-th- written:z
http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/santiago/osppron.html
Old spanish was closer to vulgar or classical latin grammar to some extent. Modern spanish is too, just that Modern Spanish has simplified the Vulgar Latin vocal system to only 5 open vowels (as in Classical- Latin) -- a. e, i, o, u -- that are pronounced clearly and without reduction in both stressed and unstressed positions. The vowels, that are short in Classic Latin, diphthongate when stressed in Spanish
http://orbilat.com/Languages/Spanish/Spanish.html
All I have said and pointed out is the following:
"Spanish often holds quite closely to classical Latin grammar in places."
http://www.geocities.com/email_theguy/rspanish.htm
Modern Castilian and Old-spanish are VERY much alike. It's rather mutual and understandable between both. Phonology is almost the same, like I've depicted above...Modern-castilian or spanish perfered to simplify the vulgar latin PHONOLOGY towards an more "classical" way. The sibilant 's' was still professed in old-spanish which it inherited from classical-latin hence, it's the REASON why "modern" CASTILIAN-spanish still has it and in some variants of latin-american spanish, respectively.
Here's an "prayer" in 11th century Castilian-spanish & Modern-castilian
11th century spanish;
Cono aujtorio de nuestro dueno. dueno Christo. dueno
salbatore qual dueno get. ena honore. e qual dueno tienet .ela
mandatjone. cono patre cono spiritu sancto enos sieculos. de lo siecu
los. facanos deus omnipotes tal serbitjio fere ke denante ela sua face
gaudioso segamus. Amen
Modern Castilian Spanish;
Con la ayuda de Nuestro Señor, Señor Jesucristo, Señor
Salvador, el cual Señor está en el honor y el cual
Señor tiene el mandato con el Padre y con el Espíritu Santo por los siglos de los siglos. Háganos Dios omnipotente tal servicio que
ante su faz gozosos sigamos. Amén.
As you can obviously view here "11th century" spanish resembles much of latin and still is understandable by modern-spanish speakers to an great extent, and both are VERY similar...NONETHELESS!