The Spanish word 'habla' meaning 'speech' comes from the Latin word 'fabula', which meant 'speech' or 'discourse'. This evolution shows a common sound change from Latin 'f-' to Spanish 'h-' that occurred in many Spanish words. The Latin word also underwent a simplification of the ending '-ula' to '-la' as it evolved into Spanish.

'Habla' is related to many common Spanish words that Spanish learners likely already know. The verb 'hablar' (to speak) is directly related, as well as words like 'hablante' (speaker) and 'hablador' (talkative person). All these words share the same Latin root and maintain the core meaning related to speech and speaking.

While English 'fable' and 'fabulous' come from the same Latin root 'fabula', they took on different meanings over time. A 'fable' became specifically a story or tale (originally something spoken or told), while 'fabulous' developed from the idea of something being 'spoken about' to meaning 'amazing' or 'incredible'. This shows how words from the same origin can develop quite different meanings across languages.