Spain and Latin American Spanish
By Dave Clark
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Many people have the mistaken idea that the Spanish language that is used in Spain is completely different from that spoken in Latin America. They also believe that if you speak in Latin American Spanish, they won't be able to understand you in Spain.
I'm not sure where people get this idea from, but it is simply not true. Some words vary region to region (especially slang or swear words) but the core Spanish language spoken in each country is still the same.
In fact, there is a very close correlation between English from the United States, England, and Australia and Spanish spoken in Spain and in Latin America. For example, if someone from England or Australia talks, I, as an American, can understand them just fine and they can understand me. Sure we have different accents, some of their swear words are different, and I may not understand many of their slang words but we can understand each other. It is the same with Spanish in Spain, Mexico and Latin America. They have different accents and their regional uses of some words may vary but they can understand each other just fine.
Briefly, some differences in accent between Latin America and Spain are that in Spain, when they say an 's', they make more of a hissing 's' sound. Also, in Spain, the 'z' and 'c' (followed by 'e' or 'i') make a 'th' sound instead of the Latin American 's' sound. And finally, in Latin America, the 'll' can sound like an English 'j' or 'y' depending on the region, however in Spain, it is generally pronounced like a 'y'.
Now you know the scoop on the difference between Spanish from Spain and Latin America.
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