Spanish American
What’s the difference between Spain Spanish and Central American Spanish?
I know it sounds politically incorrect, but I keep hearing that Spanish (the language) spoken by people from Spain (the country) is very different from the Spanish (the language) spoken by people from Mexico and other Central American countries, &c.
Is this true, and if so, what is the difference?
Well, apart from idioms, Catillano, or Spanish Spanish 1) has much softer consonants and 2) speaks with a “lisp” or the “th” sound in certain places like “gracias, “nada” and “casa,” for example. Latino Spanish, with the exception of Argentina, which tends to speak more with a Catillano accent (There may be others that I’m unaware of.), doesn’t use the “lisp” and has harder sounding consonants, particularly the “r” sound. There are other local differences, but I don’t know what they are. My husband can tell the difference among Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Dominicans, for example, but they all sound pretty much the same to me. I’m sure that the second answerer can tell where people are from in Mexico (I think the people from the country are more “sing-songy” than those who come from Mexico City, for example.) but such local differences are usually only noticed by those who speak Spanish as their native language. (Much like most people outside Philadelphia can’t hear the accent, but Philadelphians can hear it and even tell which part of Philadelphia they’re from often times.)
Then there are local ways they speak. For example, Mexicans tend to be “sing-songy” when they talk and always end on a high note, even if it’s not a question. (We tend to end on a high note if we are asking questions.) Puerto Ricans tend to drop words endings like “esta” instead of “estas.” (I’d ask my husband, but he still doesn’t think he does it.)
Yeah, I forgot about the “vosotros.” They only use it in Spain. Spanish forms it verbs, like most languages other than English, by who they are speaking to or about. “Vosotros” is the plural of “you familar” or “tu” in Spanish. In Latino countries, they just use “ustedes,” like the guy said, which is seen in Spain as the “formal you.” (You’d use the “formal you” with priests, officials, a boss maybe. You’d use the “familiar you” with children, your friends, etc.)
The Spanish-American War
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