Spanish speech vs Mexican vs Cuban

Kirk Gunn · 01-29-2006, 04:27 PM

As I get older, I've got an urge to learn a second language. Figure that Spanish (and it's variations) will be the most useful.

Since we travel to Miami and Texas frequently, I was wondering what the major differences are between Spanish, Mexican and Cuban speech ? Radically different, or just minor variations in theme ?

Hopefully they won't be as full of contrast as "British English" versus "California Surfer English" versus "Boston English" versus "Southern drawl", etc....

ChristopherDAC · 01-29-2006, 04:37 PM

Major differences.

All the different Spanish-speaking countries have radically different dialects, to the extent that a normal word or construction in one dialect can be an insult in another. To make matters worse, everybody claims that they, and only they, speak the true Castilian Spanish. The Argentineans, for instance, omit all of the "polite" or "respect" forms of speech [such as 3d-person-with-"usted" instead of 2d person, or "nosotros" instead of "nos"]. The "Spanish" spoken on the streets in LA is very different from what passes for the same language in Miami, to the extent that there would be serious difficulties in understanding.

It's like putting a Scotsman from the Orkeny Islands in a room with a South Indian and a Gullah-speaking Black American [though technically Gullah is a separate language].

Lew Crippen · 01-29-2006, 05:34 PM

I’ve never lived in Spain or Cuba, so I don’t really know that much about the differences that exist in countries about which you ask.

However I do know several people who speak (at least so I’ve been told) with a proper Castilian accent and I lived in Buenos Aries for a while and in Caracas (I understand that the accent there is very similar to Spanish as spoken in Cuba) for a longer period, so I do have some familiarity with regional differences.

As Christopher mentions, there are variations that exist in verb declination (for example you never hear vosotros in Venezuela) and differences exist in accents (though to my ear not so pronounced as the example given by Christopher) and slang usage.

In Venezuela (and Cuba), stay away from the word, papaya and use lechosa, as papaya refers to female genitalia. But if you are in Argentina, don’t use the Spanish word for shell, la concha for the very same reason.

But these things are very easy to pick up, as are many of the accents. Porteños (natives of Buenos Aries) pronounce the ‘ll’ as ‘sh’ instead of a ‘y’ sound in most other Spanish speaking areas. In Caracas, most natives swallow the last syllable of many words, especially those than end in ‘s’.

And I almost forgot the famous lisp of the Castilians.

Also Spanish as spoken by Mexicans, has borrowed a good many words (foods, for example) from the native Indian languages (most especially Aztec).

And some variations are just which (near) synonyms are in predominant use locally. For example where I live the most used word for small is chico, but I frequently say pequeño, because that is the usage I learned in Venezuela and everyone understands what I mean (even through my heavy accent).

And on and on.

But really, not that big a deal. Go ahead and learn one form or anothher. After all, you may wish to impress a Latina some day.

Holadem · 01-29-2006, 06:38 PM

Quote:

In Venezuela (and Cuba), stay away from the word, papaya and use lechosa, as papaya refers to female genitalia. But if you are in Argentina, don’t use the Spanish word for shell, la concha for the very same reason.

Damn, Lew, of all the examples you could have found

.

--
H

Lew Crippen · 01-30-2006, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Damn, Lew, of all the examples you could have found

I just learn the important things first Holadem.

**HTF Ads**

Kirk Gunn · 01-30-2006, 07:43 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I will remember never to order conch fritters with a side of sliced papaya in any spanish-speaking nation !

D. Scott MacDonald · 01-30-2006, 01:50 PM

Quote:

for example you never hear vosotros in Venezuela

You've clearly never spent time in Maracaibo, where they use Vos as slang for Tu. Como esta vos? or Quantos anos teneis vos? Of course they always drop the "s" sound, so it all comes out as "vo".

You are correct that almost all nouns used in Venezuela are unique to Venezuela.

Trey Fletcher · 01-30-2006, 02:16 PM

While in high school, I was on a community service trip to Mexico with an exchange student from Spain. The exchange student was just as lost as those of us who were not studying Spanish.

Lew Crippen · 01-30-2006, 02:30 PM

Quote:

You've clearly never spent time in Maracaibo, where they use Vos as slang for Tu. Como esta vos? or Quantos anos teneis vos?

Actually I've spent some very limited time in Maracaibo. But not enough to have conversed casually.

Kevin Hewell · 01-30-2006, 06:44 PM

Quote:

for example you never hear vosotros in Venezuela

I was taught in both high school and college (h.s. teacher from Ecuador, college teacher from Spain) that vosotros was only used in Spain.