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Which variety of Spanish to learn? | ||
Tags: Spanish | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| sjheiss Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5683 days ago 100 posts - 174 votes  Speaks: English*, Basque | Message 97 of 100 01 February 2013 at 1:53am | IP Logged | |||||
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My favorites are Andalusian and Rioplatense. :)
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| lecavaleur Diglot Senior Member Canada Joined 4776 days ago 146 posts - 295 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German, Spanish | Message 98 of 100 03 February 2013 at 5:58pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I find that it's best to start by learning the basics of a language which will be
common to all varieties, before getting bogged down with questions like which country's slang and accent you will aim to adopt. If you hope to actually become fluent in Spanish, you will probably have to go to a country or community where you can speak it day-to-day, and in all likelihood, if you ever do pick up an accent or slang, it will be the one from that country. If you live in the States and can't or won't go to another Spanish-speaking country, then I would suggest learning the Spanish that will most help you in your own country. I consider the United States to be, at least partially, a Spanish-speaking country. Learn Telemundo Spanish (which is basically Standard Mexican, or so I've read). On the other hand, if you plan on going to live in a specific country for a while, then learn as much as you can of Standard Spanish plus local pronunciation and vocab of your chosen destination. If you're anything like me with French, I started with Standard French with a Hexagonal accent and expressions. This still forms the base of my French, but after nearly 7 years in Québec, I have naturally picked up local vocab, slang, expressions and linguistic ticks. So now I basically sound like a French guy who's been living in Québec for a long time, and it shows. French people think I'm Québécois, and Québécois people think I'm French. And I'm fine with that because that's me. That's my accent. It's one of those unique things that makes me me. Edited by lecavaleur on 03 February 2013 at 6:00pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| kman543210 Diglot Newbie United States Joined 4663 days ago 26 posts - 73 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French, German | Message 99 of 100 08 February 2013 at 8:38am | IP Logged | |||||
As long as you are aware of the differences and can handle the switching, I see no reason that you can't experiment (people code switch for various reasons all the time). Just be aware of the differences and focus more on the "standard" varieties rather than very specific regional dialects, especially as a non-native speaker. I think it's advantageous to at least be aware of the differences in vocabulary and accents of several different varieties of a language. When you get to more intermediate to advanced levels, you may find that you'll want to keep focus on one kind (plus you might get strange looks if you start mixing accents in mid-conversation). Just make sure that you can be understood and that you keep it fun for yourself when learning! 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Belle700 Senior Member United States Joined 5695 days ago 128 posts - 143 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, French | Message 100 of 100 08 February 2013 at 2:22pm | IP Logged | |||||
I absolutely agree with everything you said, which is why I am using general Latin American Spanish as my core focus, with a favorable eye towards Puerto Rican and Cuban Spanish. I have not forgotten about Iberian Spanish and I keep that in the rotation also. I think I have a pretty good handle on the differences between the different varieties and can switch with ease. I do language exchanges online with people from different Spanish speaking countries (including Latin America and Spain) to help them learn English, so this is very good knowledge to have. I also agree with what you said about focusing on one kind to avoid sounding odd and having a sprinkling of too many varieties. I have read the same thing in other places and it is sound advice. Your Spanish will be shaky if it's cobbled together from one to many places. Get a good base and then branch out into a variety or varieties, depending on what regional flavors appeal to you. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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