Job Discussion Forums

grahamb · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Posts: 1945

Is that anywhere near where Wayne and Garth live?

MELEE · Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2004 2:40 pm Post subject:

misterbrownpants · Joined: 04 Apr 2004 Posts: 70

The uruguayan accent is soo screwy!! im not sure if its the same as Argentina.. but maybe..
the y's are pronounced CH
as are the LL ... its way different from any other country.. but its great.. i love it...
im worried tho because im studying in Mexico for a year.. and my spanish is all taught uruguyan like.. soo it may be difficult to intercnage it.. im not sure..

MELEE · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 1:55 pm Post subject:

Brownpants,

Don't worry. At the end of six weeks (or less) you'll be right in the swing of things. And at least in my opinion, your Spanish will be better off for the variety you've added to it.

MixtecaMike · Joined: 19 Nov 2003 Posts: 643 Location: Guatebad

The worst Spanish in the world is that spoken by enclaves of ESL teachers who stick together in bunches and only speak Spanish with people who'd rather practice their English!

Where several posters on this forum live there are many English speakers who spend all their time in Spanish classes and still sound little better than the "no-speekee-eis-pan-nyol" parody of a B-movie.

Country-wise Guatemala and Mexico are both fairly straight-forward and easy to understand, but I love listening to tv programs from Argentina "Zho te dije a vos..."

The "best" form of a language is one that the people you interact with speak. That's what I tell my students, but in their hearts they know the best is the way I speak. Razz

matttheboy · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Posts: 854 Location: Valparaiso, Chile

Ecuadorian Spanish is the purest form i`ve encountered in South America-there`s not too much slang and they pronounce pretty much what is written (it`s pretty much the same in Peru and Bolivia as well). Chilean Spanish is hideous with a slang which borders on the preposterous, �cachai? and Argentinian and Uruguayan Spanish are fun, especially the accent and use of `vos`instead of `tu` (with the accompanying change in the verb form as well), but pretty tricky to get a handle on (i learnt in Ecuador then came to Argentina before meeting my girlfiend in Chile so i have a rather bizarre mix of everything. My girlfriend berates me when i use Argentinian Spanish but seeing as i live in Argentina i can`t help but pick it up...)

However, once your Spanish is up to a decent standard however, you should be able to understand everyone. I`ve only been in South America for 8 months and didn`t speak a word before coming out but now have no real problems conversing with Spanish speakers from any country (with the exception of Spain-i don`t understand a word they say!). If you read up on some the differences before heading to other countries then you`ll know what to expect and will be more prepared-it helped me to know that Argentinians pronounced `ll`very differently before i arrived here for instance. There`s almost no preparation for Chilean Spanish though!

People are generally very friendly when you speak Spanish because you`re making an effort and they truly appreciate this. I`ve met people who`ve been travelling for over a year in South America and couldn`t say much more than `gracias` and who got angry with people who didn`t understand them. Truly astonishing and rather shameful. My view is why the hell should they speak English to you in their own country?

Make an effort to learn the language or you may as well live at home, Matt

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

Gringo Greg · Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2004 1:14 pm Post subject:

I live in southern Thailand and I can get TV from Malaysia. They run a lot of telenovelas from Latin countries. I have managed to keep my listening up, though my speaking skills have dropped considerably. I find it easiest to understand the Mexican telenovelas and the hardest to understand was one from Venezuela. Just my opinion...

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

For mister brownpants:

Don't fuss about Uruguan Spanish not being understandable and/or accepted in Mexico. Eduardo Galeano always speaks to standing room only crowds in Bellas Artes when he comes here. No one minds at all that his "Ss" are invisible. We love him!

I find that how one relates to particular accents, pronunciations and modisms has a lot to do with how much you read. I would have had a hard time understanding the Spanish in Argentinian films if I had not read everything written by Borges and Cort�zar. A lot also has to do with social class--in the Colombian film, "La vendedora de rosas" in many scenes they put subtitles--in SPANISH--as they were afraid that the audience wouldn't understand the street kids' lingo.

What pleases one person's ear may not be music to someone else's. I find Ecuadorean Spanish--especially on the coast--to be one long whine, and I couldn't wait to get away from that sound. Venezuelans probably speak more rapidly than other nationalities--and they certainly swallow more letters--and they don't understand Mexican modisms at all--despite the popularity of Mexican soap operas....Go figure.

MELEE · Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 8:09 pm Post subject:

Weona · Joined: 11 Apr 2004 Posts: 166 Location: Chile

Jdub · Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 2 Location: Clemson, SC

Bakan! Some peeps are familiar with the Chilean slang. This is a pretty cool topic. Chilean spanish is mad hard to understand. There is no real preparation for it. I like it though. I think like somebody else said, if you can understand the Chileans you can understand any country's Spanish.

Munchen · Joined: 29 Apr 2003 Posts: 76

One Chilean gentlemen I met here in WDC area had absolutely dreadful Spanish. Think he told me he was from Northern Chile. He was around 60, but his 20ish aged sones were much easier to understand.

When I attended the Hispanic Studies program at the University of Valencia in Spain years ago, I remember our young, attractive grammar instructor came into class with her high boots and looked sharp. Of those memories, I recall the instant correction when anyone pronounced anything in LA Spanish. Like Cerveza, our instructor said, no, "thervetha"!!

Sort of like Oxford English in some circles would look down on US pronunciations. Same sort of snobbery, I suppose.

The finest Spanish, I thought, was around Salamanca, home of the prestigious university.
I was invited to participate in a radio discussion in which the station was located in a building at the Plaza Mayor. I was really impressed with the accent of the radio announcer who conducted the program. Had a truly great voice and crystal clear to understand.
Usually one will hear the finest examples anywhere from those in the media professions.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

frijolita · Joined: 06 May 2004 Posts: 35 Location: Madrid

Guatemalans speak pretty clear Spanish though I agree I think Colombia has the best accent. As for the worst, I would say maybe Dominican or Puerto Rican. They mix in a ton of English and make up new words. My roommate is from Argentina and she speaks reallly fast with an Italian accent it is sometimes hard to understand.