22 messages over 3 pages: 1 2 3
sneakbobcat Diglot Newbie United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4686 days ago 4 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Mandarin, Japanese
| Message 17 of 22 06 February 2012 at 1:03am | IP Logged |
I'd say adopt the accent that most of the people around you use. If you're going to be speaking to Mexicans all the time, using an Argentinian accent would be slightly peculiar. You shouldnt really "choose" your accent, but fall naturally into it.
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| Superking Diglot Groupie United States polyglutwastaken.blo Joined 6644 days ago 87 posts - 194 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Mandarin
| Message 18 of 22 06 February 2012 at 5:45am | IP Logged |
sneakbobcat wrote:
I'd say adopt the accent that most of the people around you use. If you're going to be speaking to Mexicans all the time, using an Argentinian accent would be slightly peculiar. You shouldnt really "choose" your accent, but fall naturally into it. |
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This is the only correct answer. I spent so long trying to pick an accent I liked when I was learning Spanish as a teenager, and now that I'm engaged to a Colombian woman, guess how I talk?
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| Quique Diglot Senior Member Spain cronopios.net/Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4683 days ago 183 posts - 313 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English Studies: French, German
| Message 19 of 22 07 February 2012 at 10:12am | IP Logged |
I'd say that, in Spanish, accent is just that, an accent, and therefore not very important. People from Spain can understand people from Latin America without any problem, and viceversa (apart from the occasional word that it's only used locally).
If you're interested in a Spanish accent, I'd suggest listening to Radio Nacional de España online. It's an educated accent, not tied to any specific region (in Spain the accents vary widely). Other advantage of this accent is that it differenciates the `s' and `z' sounds, making writing somewhat easier.
Anyway, if your teachers and the people you talk with are Mexican, you'll naturally end up with a Mexican accent. I don't think you should worry too much about it.
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| Superking Diglot Groupie United States polyglutwastaken.blo Joined 6644 days ago 87 posts - 194 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Mandarin
| Message 20 of 22 07 February 2012 at 5:54pm | IP Logged |
The one decision you do need to make is between European (Spain) and Latin American Spanish early on. The difference between Mexican and Colombian Spanish, for example, is much smaller than the difference between European Spanish and Latin American. My native-born Colombian fiancee confesses to finding it hard to understand Spaniards. Not that everyone will -- but I know that as a non-native speaker, oftentimes I don't even try because it's just that different. Besides, it's not just the accent, the grammar is slightly (though not dramatically) different as well.
Either one is a perfectly valid and good choice, but you just need to think about what YOU want to be comfortable understanding. If you live in Europe, I say go for Spain. If you live in the United States, go for Latin American.
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| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4669 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali
| Message 21 of 22 15 February 2012 at 8:09pm | IP Logged |
You should chose the accent you like. I like Argentine Spanish and learn this variety.
I have relatives there, and Im planning on visiting them. Normally we talk only over the phone/Skype :(
I live in Europe, but I don't like the peninsular dialect.
I love Barcelona and Valencia though, so we'll be adding Catalan in the near future.
I just wouldn't speak Spanish there, the Spaniards are notorious for correcting other people's pronunciation (seseo) and words (''Nosotros no usamos la palabra lindo, sólo guapo!''). This can be annoying. British people don't normally correct foreigners speaking with a North American accent.
Edited by Medulin on 15 February 2012 at 8:13pm
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| Javi Senior Member Spain Joined 5982 days ago 419 posts - 548 votes Speaks: Spanish*
| Message 22 of 22 15 February 2012 at 10:57pm | IP Logged |
Medulin wrote:
You should chose the accent you like. I like Argentine Spanish and
learn this variety.
I have relatives there, and Im planning on visiting them. Normally we talk only over
the phone/Skype :(
I live in Europe, but I don't like the peninsular dialect.
I love Barcelona and Valencia though, so we'll be adding Catalan in the near future.
I just wouldn't speak Spanish there, the Spaniards are notorious for correcting other
people's pronunciation (seseo) and words (''Nosotros no usamos la palabra lindo, sólo
guapo!''). This can be annoying. British people don't normally correct foreigners
speaking with a North American accent. |
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I think your getting the wrong end of the stick. For a start, Argentinians themselves
don't get corrections over here, and neither do Andalusians over seseo, so you can take
yours as a clear indication of how far you are from sounding native. Besides, although
it is true that many Spaniards are fond of correcting foreigners, this fact along with
the overall low level of English should be a godsend to language learners. So we use
our own dialect as a model, yeah, but what did you expect? Linguists in the local
tasca?
Edited by Javi on 15 February 2012 at 11:00pm
2 persons have voted this message useful
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