Spain spanish to South america spanish

[Whizzer]

I been listen to spain radio station trying to get use to them talking. How close is the Spanish in Spain to the Spanish in other places! Living in los Angeles there is lot on spanish words round here.

 

[WolverineDG]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

If you are from the American continents (as am I) then you speak a dialect of Spanish called "Catalan." It is the dialect spoken by the Conquistadores. You will still be understood, but obviously will stand out as we don't lisp or pronounce "b"s as "v"s & vice versa.

Kelly

 

[Whizzer]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Thanks for the info.

 

[LTfit]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Although I am not a language expert, I disagree with you explanation Kelly. Catalan is an official Romance language and is spoken in Catalonia, Spain (Barcelona region,etc.). It is definately not a dialect. If you speak Spanish and/or French you may recognize some words but that's it!

South and Central America speak Spanish which is the same language as in Spain although each country has its own accent and some variations in vocabulary. If you are used to hearing Spanish from the Americas then your ear will need to get used to the different accent in Spain. I learned Spanish in Spain so I have more difficulty understanding Venezuelans or Argentinians for example.

Catalonia is an autonomous region and they are quite proud of their language as are the Basques. I had the crazy experience of walking with a group last summer made up of a Basque, a Catalan and a Gallego - 3 different languages within Spain. Luckily they all also spoke Spanish haha!

Cheers,
Lee

 

[dutchpilgrim]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Lee is right. Catalan or Catalá is a total different language.

The main difference between Latin-American Spanish and Spanish Spanish (Castellano) is pronunciation and vocabulary. People speaking those two variations of the same language will understand each other.
You can compare it with American English and English English. As do we in Holland with Dutch Dutch and South-African Dutch.


Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo.

P.S.
Like pre-windows "" nowadays is
C.

 

[LTfit]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Carlo - the analogy Flemish (Dutch spoken by the Belgians) and Dutch might be better. Afrikaans (South African "Dutch") is another story -grammar, vocabulary, spelling and accent are different!

Vive les langues!

 

[Caminando]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Lee is right. Catalan or Catalá is a total different language.

The main difference between Latin-American Spanish and Spanish Spanish (Castellano) is pronunciation and vocabulary. People speaking those two variations of the same language will understand each other.
You can compare it with American English and English English. As do we in Holland with Dutch Dutch and South-African Dutch.


Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo.

P.S.
Like pre-windows "" nowadays is
C.

Interesting, though actually, it's British English.

 

[annakappa]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Hi Whizzer. We live in Costa Rica, Central America and our Spanish is different to the Castillian Spanish spoken in Spain. However, it's mainly a difference in accent, plus of course many names of things, just as much as we British use quite a lot of different nouns compared to North Americans (pavement=sidewalk, etc).
Well done for listening to radio programmes. I like that! Once you get walking on the Camino, you will find that there are a lot of Camino related words, that you will soon pick up! My first boob, was going into the Albergue in Zubirí (first day on trail) and asking if they there was "campo" (meaning availability) and the reply was "no, there is no camping here"! In Spain you ask "Hay plazas"?
By the way, Kelly: Catalán is a pure language of it's own, with it's own word/verb structure and is taught with great pride in the schools in Cataluña. In other words, parents can choose to send their child to a Catalán speaking school or a Castillian speaking school. Anne

 

[annelise]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Well, for whatever it is worth (being Danish):

I went to Spanish language teaching schools in Guatemala some years ago and got a fairly good understanding of the language as spoken there (could follow long talks without problems) and have also travelled extensively in Mexico.

However, one of my Guatemalan teachers told me, that in Guatemala, they never watched films from 'Spanish' Spain – they just did not understand the language!

I have now come to the point where I can read Spanish fairly easily (even litterary books), I can make myself understood in Spain – but I have failed to come to the point where I can understand the replyes! – Frustrating in the extreme.

 

[Whizzer]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Mine mom found out the lady next door is Spanish and she look down to mex spanish.

I did live in holland for 9 months and saw that some words is close to english. So when I listen to Holland rdio station I some what cn pick it up still.


I think just pick up some words and look at photo to get the feel of try to learn it.

 

[annelise]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Whizzer, with all due respect, I think that you may have misunderstood me here (?) I have 'all the words' – can speak them – but have difficulties with understanding the replies back! Native Spanish speakers (i.e. in Spain) have assured me that they perfectly understand me, but the opposite is not the case (that is: I have difficulty in understanding them).

But in asking directions, I have learned to watch out for the catchwords in a sometimes long talk and reply full of words which I do not grasp, the catchwords being for example ' a la izquierda' (to the left), 'a la derecha' (to the right), 'al fondo de' (to the end of) and 'todo derecho' (straight ahead). When I totally failed to pick out the essential information from a very long reply, I would usually thank the person, and (of course out of sight from the original person, I had asked), I would ask another person. It never failed.

And I am glad to report that I never met a person who did not try to be helpful! Some persons even went out of their way (unasked!) if they thought that I was about to make a wrong turn.

 

[WolverineDG]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Well, then, all the Spanish people I spoke with who told me that I speak Catalan & not Spanish, as well as the Cuban American college professor I had dinner with one night who said the same thing, are all wrong. Including this guy: http://750pints.blogspot.com/2009/09/br ... llego.html

Kelly

 

[LTfit]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

I believe that you are confusing Catalan wtih Castillano.

The blogger you site is most definately incorrect on 2 counts - regarding both Gallego as well as Catalan. If you read the comment by John after the blogger's post you will see why:
John said...
hi there, enjoying reading your camino stories but you've got it way wrong about the languages inthe the first paragraph. First of all Galician (galego/gallego) may sound like a mix of Spanish and Portuguese but it is a language in its own right. Secondly Catalan (also a proper language rather than a dialect of Spanish) is spoken in the north east of Spain, the lanaue brought to the Americias was Castellano (ie Spanish) the language of the centre and south of the country.

Just Google Catalan and Castellano if you are not convinced.

 

[Whizzer]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

I do understand what everyone is saying. Mine sister said that she could tell Spanish nun over Cuba nun.


I live in los Angeles where I am being force to learn Mex spanish. Spain was here and made misson. They are setup so you can walk one a day back then. Today I don't know if it can be done.
I grown up in town called la Puente. So I talk can very little right now. Lol



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_mi ... California

 

[WolverineDG]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

the blogger I cite is me. That particular blog is an actual conversation I had with a gentleman who told me he spoke "Gallego." He said, quite clearly, that I spoke "Catalan" when I told him I spoke a little Spanish. I know enough to hear the difference between "Catalan" & "Castellano," seeing as how I've lived on the US/Mexico border my entire life. Catalan has 3 syllables, with the accent on the last; Castellano has 4, with a "y" sound due to the double-L, not to mention an "s".

In addition to this gentleman, I was told I speak "Catalan" by Spaniards in SJP (we stayed at L'Espirit together), the Cuban American college professor, & several other Spaniards along the way.

Kelly

 

[Whizzer]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Got in to mine mp3 player software as podcast. It have 8 cast podcast download. You can download Zune software and it is free. You can download the podcast on to the computer to listen to. If you have Window 7 phone this is the software that you need to place music on the phone.


Here is one podcast.
http://www.notesinspanish.com/spanish-podcasts/

 

[Canuck]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Kelly,

Without trying to get into an argument with you, I would venture to say you were told you speak ''Castillan'', which is the ancient form of Spanish as we know it today.

Castillan was spoken by the conquistadores and to this date is still considered ''spoken'' in certain parts of Latin America, i.e. Peru.

The word Castillan can be mistaken for Catalan in a conversation with people with a strange accent.

I often experience similar situations in French: North American French vs European French.
Jean-Marc

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

In Ruitelan, I met a couple and their son. They spoke together in Catalan, though the son spoke English. The hospitaleros spoke Castillian, my brother and I spoke English, and the Dutch cyclist spoke English. At times, the son had translate his parents for the hospitaleros to understand!

Unrelated to that, in Puerto Rico my bus company was training bus drivers. We had two instructors, one from Mexico and one from Chile. The Puerto Ricans could barely understand the Mexican, but loved the Chilean. His Spanish was "just like they use in Spain." Completely language impaired myself, I can only take their word for it.

 

[daesdaemar]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

I am Cuban American and learned Spanish as a child form my parents. Also lived in South Florida with a large Cuban population. I also lived 16 years in Texas with a large number of Mexicans. I now live in a area with a large number of Puerto Ricans.
I have traveled extensively in South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Spain.
Bottom line is that the Spanish sounds different everywhere. Mexican and Castillian, IMHO, are the most difficult to understand for me.

 

[WolverineDG]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

I'm not trying to get into it with anyone either, just relating what I was TOLD by native speakers of Spanish IN SPAIN.

And no, I do not speak Castillian either. We don't lisp in the New World; it's considered pretentious.

Kelly

 

[WolverineDG]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

I'm not trying to get into it with anyone either, just relating what I was TOLD by native speakers of Spanish IN SPAIN.

And no, I do not speak Castillian either. We don't lisp in the New World; it's considered pretentious.

Kelly

 

[Canuck]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Alright, have it your way.

Now go to Barcelona and see how far you go with your ''Catalan''.

I speak Spanish that I learnt by myself and people understand me wether it be in Mexico or Spain. Lisping has nothing to do with it.

Cheers,
Jean-Marc

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

But it is easier to get directions to O Cebreiro from a local if you lisp!!

 

[annakappa]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

When I went to work near Barcelona back in 1963, I was blissfully unaware that the people there would be speaking to me in another language (I had spent every spare minute learning Castillian Spanish! So, yes, I picked up a few words in Catalán, as I was living with a local family, but they all spoke to me in Castillian.
I thought that this little lesson Catalán versus Castillian might help to clear up a few mis-understandings!

This is how Catalans count from one to ten: un, dos, tres, quatre, cinc, sis, set, vuit, nou, deu (compare with Spanish uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez). Barcelonans say vi (wine), ma (hand), dit (finger), ull (eye), be (sheep) and platja (beach), whereas their compatriots in Madrid say vino, mano, dedo, ojo, oveja and playa. “Welcome” is benvinguts in Catalan (Spanish bienvenidos), “good night” is bona nit (Spanish buenas noches), “The United States” is els Estats Units (Spanish los Estados Unidos) and “please” is si us plau (Spanish por favor).

In Catalan, “Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses” is Dona’ns avui el nostre pa de cada dia i perdona’ns les nostres ofenses. In Spanish, it’s Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día y perdona nuestras ofensas.
As you can see, there is much difference between the two languages,as for instance compared with say Italian!

Of course, you can guess what a lot of individual words mean, but when they are put into a sentence, then you realize that they languages are completely different!
Anne

 

[Anniesantiago]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Wow Anne! Catalan sounds a lot like my Azorian Portuguese grandparents speak!

 

[Whizzer]

Re: Spain spainish to South america spainish

Here is spainish flash card web page.

http://quizlet.com/subject/spanish/
http://www.spanishdict.com/learn


I got a question.
I drive on a street call Punta de esta. To put it in english it is Point of there. To me it would be there the point. When speaking Spanish do you think backward like Punta de esta?

 

[LTfit]

Do you mean Punta del Este- eastern point? Also a famous tourist spot in Uruguay...

 

[SabsP]

I'm of course not in any way a language expert but with my knowledge of spanish ( four years adult evening school ) I could make myself very understandable both in Mexico/ Guatemala as in Spain. And yes the teacher ( born in the middle of Castilia ) taught us the " proper " spanish/ castiliano.
And I don't particularly lisp that excessively ( only after that one too many glass of tinto... :wink: ).
Again , more important is the way you act, how you position yourself when talking to someone in spanish : if you act in a correct and polite way you will get a nice answer back ( much more important than getting an A + for pronunciation ).
Ok....will leave now... :arrow:

 

[Tia Valeria]

We learnt our Spanish (Castillano) in Argentina and have no problem understanding, or we hope being understood, in Spain. Even telephone calls to book accomodation in Santiago and elsewhere after our Camino was no problem.
Historically, I can remember being told that some centuries ago there was a Spanish king who had problems with his speech. To spare him embarrassment his courtiers copied his pronunciation of certain letters, hence the lisped 'z' and 's'. It wasn't the common language but is still used in some places today, like the differing way of pronouncing 'll' - but we won't get into that.

 

[annakappa]

Historically, I can remember being told that some centuries ago there was a Spanish king who had problems with his speech. To spare him embarrassment his courtiers copied his pronunciation of certain letters, hence the lisped 'z' and 's'. It wasn't the common language but is still used in some places today, like the differing way of pronouncing 'll' - but we won't get into that.

I like that explanation, Valeria! Anne

 

[LTfit]

Don't know if it is accurate but I sure like your explanation Valeria! I had been trying to investigate the origin of the pronunciation of the "z" en "c" as a TH haha!

And if anyone is wondering why this manner of pronunciation was not brought to the New World - well here is an explanation I found on this site:http://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/articles/19921.aspx

Castilian is known for the pronunciation of the letter z and ce and ci as a theta -- sounding like the TH in the English word thin. The pronunciation of the S is often apical -- very similar to the S of classical Mandarin. To some English speakers, the S as pronounced by Castilians can sound a bit like a slushy whistle, but it is not an SH.

Not all Spanish speakers in Spain speak this dialect. In fact, the reason that the Spanish of America does not pronounce the z, ce and ci as theta is because most of the conquistadors and earlier colonists came from regions of Spain that pronounce these sounds as an S -- and some, as you'll read in other articles, even drop the S sound at the end of syllables.

Cheers,
LT

 

[LTfit]

I am getting a bit carried away so this is my last post (at least for today!). Some more information on the differences between Latin American Spanish and Castillano for the language fantatics out there:

"Degrees Of Difference
...In Castilian Spanish, the 'll' and 'y' sounds are pronounced like the sound at the start of 'yellow'. In Latin American Spanish, they are pronounced more like the sound at the start of 'jug'. * In Castilian Spanish, the 'x' is pronounced as a 'sh' or 'th' sound, while in Latin American Spanish it is generally pronounced 'ks' as in English. There are also two important grammatical differences between Latin American Spanish and Castilian Spanish. It is important for those who wish to learn to speak Spanish correctly to learn these. * The first is the use of 'vosotros' as the plural form of the informal 'tu' (you) in Spain. In Latin America 'ustedes' is used. * The second is 'leismo'. This means the use of 'le' instead of 'lo' for the direct object. This is common in some parts of Spain, but is unusual in Latin America. Don't worry if you learn to speak Spanish with a Castilian accent but are traveling in South America. Despite these differences speakers of Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish can easily be understood by each other."

Interesting I thought.

Cheers,
LT