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Most widely understood Spanish accent

  Tags: Accent | Spanish
 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages Post Reply
24 messages over 3 pages: 1 2 3  Next >>
SRC
Newbie
United States
Joined 5978 days ago

31 posts - 33 votes
Studies: Spanish, Japanese

 
 Message 1 of 24
02 April 2009 at 8:48pm | IP Logged 

Hello everyone - I'm thinking seriously of picking up my long-neglected study of Spanish and that getting a tutor would be a good idea. I know that there is a form of "standard" Spanish that you hear on TV, but most people wouldn't really speak that way ... if I had to pick an accent to pattern myself off of, what **natural** accents are most widely and clearly understood and come across as "well-spoken" (whatever that means) throughout the Spanish-speaking world?
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sprachefin
Triglot
Senior Member
Germany
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300 posts - 317 votes 
Speaks: German*, English, Spanish
Studies: French, Turkish, Mandarin, Bulgarian, Persian, Dutch

 
 Message 2 of 24
02 April 2009 at 11:48pm | IP Logged 
If you were going to learn a "neutral" Spanish, why not learn the one that started it all. The Castillian Spanish. This
is the one spoken throughout Spain. Many Spaniards who speak another minority language such as Basque or
Galican speak it as well as Spanish is the official language. Another option for you would be Mexican Spanish. Since
you live in the United States, it would not hurt to take a vacation for a few weeks to Cancun or even an urban area.
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giantsfan7791
Diglot
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United States
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Speaks: Spanish, English*
Studies: French, German

 
 Message 3 of 24
03 April 2009 at 5:59am | IP Logged 
The most well regarded of Spanish accents is Colombian accent, specifically that spoken by people living in the area of Medellín. It's said to be very beautiful, almost as if the Spanish is sung rather than spoken, and it has the added bonus of generally being spoken at a moderate pace (not to mention that there are tons of Colombian telenovelas out there).There are some accents you should be careful with, such as the Castillian Spanish, because people in Spain tend to lisp their "s" sounds (among other sounds) and are known to be difficult to understand outside of Europe. Mexican accents are decent, but can be seen as a sort of lower-class accent by some people. Dominican accents you should avoid, they speak at very rapid speeds and it would be difficult for a beginner to comprehend/emulate them.
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portunhol
Triglot
Senior Member
United States
thelinguistblogger.w
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198 posts - 299 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese
Studies: German, Arabic (classical)

 
 Message 4 of 24
03 April 2009 at 6:14am | IP Logged 
I would say that the neutral accent used by Latin American news casters is the most widely understood by all. I agree that certain parts of Columbia speak very clear and correct Spanish but so do parts of Mexico, San Salvador and Bolivia. Try and imitate the people on Univisión and you'll do just fine.

Truth be told, this is nothing to stress about too much. Spanish is one language so even if you developed a thick Paraguayan accent the Mexicans would understand most if not all of what you said. Even if you spent years in Málaga, you could go to Puerto Rico the next day and communicate with about as many problems as you have with your English in the UK.
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stelingo
Hexaglot
Senior Member
United Kingdom
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Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian
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 Message 5 of 24
03 April 2009 at 6:08pm | IP Logged 
giantsfan7791 wrote:
The most well regarded of Spanish accents is Colombian accent, specifically that spoken by people living in the area of Medellín. It's said to be very beautiful, almost as if the Spanish is sung rather than spoken, and it has the added bonus of generally being spoken at a moderate pace (not to mention that there are tons of Colombian telenovelas out there).There are some accents you should be careful with, such as the Castillian Spanish, because people in Spain tend to lisp their "s" sounds (among other sounds) and are known to be difficult to understand outside of Europe. Mexican accents are decent, but can be seen as a sort of lower-class accent by some people. Dominican accents you should avoid, they speak at very rapid speeds and it would be difficult for a beginner to comprehend/emulate them.


Spanish people do not lisp their s sounds at all. Many, depending on the region of Spain, pronounce z and ce/ci like English th in think. This is known as ceceo. And I have not met any Latin Americans who find it difficult to understand Castillian Spanish. And who are these people who see Mexican accents as'sort of lower class'?
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TheBiscuit
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Mexico
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532 posts - 619 votes 
Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Italian
Studies: German, Croatian

 
 Message 6 of 24
03 April 2009 at 6:43pm | IP Logged 
I wouldn't worry too much about your accent, worry about developing the sounds necessary to speak the language and reduce interference from your L1. I have spent 4 years in Mexico, speak Spanish fluently but have yet to develop an accent. Most people tell me I have no accent which is fine by me as it means I have little or no L1 interference and can be understood.

If you want to come across as well-spoken this has more to do with the words you choose, the structures, how well you express your ideas and above all what you have to say.
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Javi
Senior Member
Spain
Joined 5979 days ago

419 posts - 548 votes 
Speaks: Spanish*

 
 Message 7 of 24
04 April 2009 at 12:30am | IP Logged 
SRC wrote:

Hello everyone - I'm thinking seriously of picking up my long-neglected study of Spanish and that getting a tutor would be a good idea. I know that there is a form of "standard" Spanish that you hear on TV, but most people wouldn't really speak that way ... if I had to pick an accent to pattern myself off of, what **natural** accents are most widely and clearly understood and come across as "well-spoken" (whatever that means) throughout the Spanish-speaking world?



I don't think any Spanish accent is regarded as high outside the country where it is spoken. Additionally mutual understanding has more to do with education than with accent, so I wouldn't worry to much about that, just pick the one you like the most, as long as you can hear it on a regular basis.

Edited by Javi on 04 April 2009 at 12:41am

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Javi
Senior Member
Spain
Joined 5979 days ago

419 posts - 548 votes 
Speaks: Spanish*

 
 Message 8 of 24
04 April 2009 at 12:40am | IP Logged 
stelingo wrote:
Spanish people do not lisp their s sounds at all. Many, depending on the region of Spain, pronounce z and ce/ci like English th in think. This is known as ceceo.


Nope, this is known as distinction.


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