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El español tiene muchos dialectos diferentes. Escuché las variedades argentinas y colombianas de español. Fue muy interesante escuchar cómo la gente de cada país habla español. Como no soy hablante nativo de español, ambas grabaciones sonaban muy similares. Pero noté algunas diferencias. For example, I noticed Spanish speakers from Argentina tend to pronounce “ll” as “sh” or “zh” as opposed to pronouncing “ll” as “y”. In contrast, Colombian Spanish pronounces “y” and “ll” like the letter y. After doing a little research, it seems like this difference in pronunciation is influenced by the large population of Italian immigrants in Argentina. I think the varieties of Spanish are a great representation of the rich history and influences of each country. Although each country shares the common language of Spanish, the residents make the language their own by adding parts of their culture and identity. However, having different dialects makes direct translations a little difficult.

Creo que las muchas variedades de español permiten a los estudiantes aprender sobre diferentes culturas en países de habla hispana. Pero esto también puede causar muchos desafíos, especialmente para los principiantes. For example, it can be difficult to follow/understand the different pronunciations of words. The Spanish spoken in Argentina is different from the Spanish spoken in Spain, so learning the vocabulary can also be difficult. Personally, I think the most difficult part about learning Spanish is learning all the different conjugations. However, learning Spanish as a second language allows students to connect to a larger population of Spanish speakers all over the world. This also opens up more opportunities for students, such as jobs and internships.

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1. Espanha and Peru (Lima)
2. I chose these countries because I have heard that many Latin Americans have trouble adjusting to Spanish spoken in Europe. I'm also visiting Peru over the summer so I am interested in hearing how the dialect differs from others. The most obvious difference I heard in the clips was the changes in accent - especially in pronunciation of 'C' and 'Z' sounds. In the Spanish clip, there was more emphasis on the 'th' sound as with Peru it was more of an 's' sound. I also noticed the use of vosotros in the Spain clip as opposed to ustedes in Peruvian Spanish.
3. The wide varieties of the Spanish language pose some difficulty for non-native speakers, but offer options. Learning Spanish provides many opportunities to connect with people and advantages in the working world.
-Taylor Sagman

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1. Peru, Lima - Capital (Lander Aspajo Quiñonez) y Argentina, Buenos Aires - Quilmes (Ignacio Azcueta)

2. I chose to compare Spanish variations between Peru and Argentina as they are both countries I would love to visit in the future and I was interested to hear how different they may sound on opposite coasts of South America – Argentina in el Cono Sur and Peru in the Andino and Amazónico dialect region. While listening to the clips, there are some pronunciations that jump out. In Argentina, Spanish sounds softer, with the words flowing into one another. 'Y' and 'll' letter pronunciations, such as in 'playa' or 'llegue', are made to sound more like a soft 'j' or 'sh'. I am not as used to hearing Spanish with these phonetic differences, so at first listen it was difficult to immediately understand him.

The pronunciations in Peru were more familiar, as they overlap with a lot of clips of Spanish from previous courses. Contrasted with Argentina, the clip from Lima sounded more precise in pronunciation and was much easier for me to understand. 'Y' and 'll" are pronounced as a clear 'ya', and consonants are generally emphasized.

3. Los estudiantes de español como segunda lengua hayan muchas oportunidades en EE.UU. Español es la lengua segunda que hablan en los Estados Unidos. ¡Uno de tres personas habla español en EE.UU! Muchas empresas se gustan contratar los empleados como segunda lengua. Si podemos ofrecer los servicios a hispanohablantes, es muy valioso. Fuera del trabajo, si habla español, los estudiantes pueden connectar con otras personas. Sin embargo, las variadades de español a veces son difíciles entender, especialmente por estudiantes nuevos. Es similar a una persona de EE.UU quien hable con una persona de Escocia o la Inglaterra.

Ultimately, I feel learning a second language opens up many opportunities to connect with others that you may otherwise have not been able to talk to.
-Stephanie Peterson

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1. Monterrey, Mexico and Neuquén, Argentina

2. I always find hearing about the different Spanish varieties interesting. I liked hearing how both interview participants had different ways of describing something and when asking questions. When hearing both clips I noticed that I could understand the participant from the first Monterrey interview more and she would pronounce her words a bit clearer when compared to the other participant in the first Neuquén interview. The participant from the latter interview spoke without much annunciation in his words. I also noticed that the participant from Monterrey would pronounce the "ll" in allá with a "ya" sound while the other participant would pronounce it with a "ch" sound. It is the same word and has the same meaning, yet is pronounced differently depending on the region. I find this really interesting how the same word can be said by different Spanish varieties and sound different. At the same time, a word that has the same meaning can also have other ways to say or spell it.

3. I think there are many opportunities for students who are learning Spanish as a second language just like there are as many challenges. There are numerous options when it comes to trying to learn Spanish as a second language. One can not only take classes for Spanish if offered but there are also the options of interacting with native Spanish speakers who are often willing to help as well as watching Spanish tv shows/movies where one can pick up some words or phrases to get started. By trying to learn a second language it can create new job openings and connections that may have not been open before. Of course, there are challenges that come along with trying to learn a new language. The different varieties in Spanish like grammar or word usage can make it hard when starting out.

Citation: http://prosodia.upf.edu/atlasentonacion/enquestes/espanol/neuquen/index.html#entrevistes

Karen Canales

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Atlas interactivo de la entonación del español

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Atlas interactivo de la entonación del español

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1. Mexico (Guadalajara) and Chile (Santiago - Capital (Débora Verdugo)

2. I chose Chile and Mexico because they are the farthest apart in terms of the Latin American countries and thought that their differences would be interesting to review. While both Chile and Mexico both speak Spanish, the differences between the two are very apparent when listening to the recordings. From what I heard; Chilean Spanish has a heavier accent compared to Mexican Spanish. The pronunciation of words is also different from what I have commonly heard. Given this heavier accent and different pronunciation it was hard for me to understand much of what the speaker was saying. Meanwhile with Mexican Spanish, I was able to understand most of what was said. I feel as though while the speaker spoke faster than the Chilean speaker, the pronunciation was clearer and certain words were drawled out. Because emphasis was placed n these certain words, I was able to better follow what the speaker was saying.

3. I think that the challenges and opportunities that a student learning Spanish as a second language are numerous. In terms of challenges, I feel as through the numerous dialects of Spanish are a difficult hurdle for any person learning Spanish. Different forms of pronunciation and grammar can be difficult to grasp. In terms of opportunities, Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world with more than 500 million speakers. If someone can speak this language, they are privy to a new set of experiences and cultural experiences. People who are attempting to become bilingual or already bilingual will have great advantages in the workforce and life.

- James Washington

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Argentina vs. México

It was easier to distinguish the difference between these two dialects of Spanish because most of the latin world does not us the vos form, except for Spain, Argentina, and a few other countries. You could hear the lisp in the Argentinian Spanish because of the use of vos instead of tu. It also seemed that there was an emphasis on certain letters, which made it harsher than the Spanish in México. It is very interesting to hear the difference in dialect depending on the region and country. Where I am from, there are many dialects of the same language and sometimes it is hard to understand what someone is saying because of the thick accent and different vocabulary. Overall, it wasn't really difficult to understand what the narrator was saying, considering the overall context was similar. I feel like, if you take it slow and truly listen to what someone is staying, it is not that difficult to follow along.

For those who are learning a new language and only paying attention to one region, it might be difficult to comprehend Spanish beyond that region. I feel like most languages are like this because language has culture embedded into it and people make it unique to differentiate themselves from one another. For example, Farsi and Dari are the same language, but the dialects are so different that people have created a different name for it. I find this interesting but those who  speak the language understand each other, despite the struggle with certain words. The overall gist of the conversation is understood, but there might be some confusion. This kind of thing is inevitable, which is why it is important to be aware of the different dialects that exist in the language you are studying.

-Palwasha Ghairat

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1) Montevidéu, Uruguay
México Distrito Federal, Mexico
http://coral.ufsm.br/voces/amostras.htm
2) I took a general look over the different kinds of Spanish that exist, and I am shocked just by the variety of different kinds that exist. Even within one country, there are numerous different dialects that use different sounds and likely different words and slightly different kinds of grammar.

The Spanish from Mexico City sounds a lot like the usual Spanish that I have heard in the audio clips for Spanish class. I'm able to recognize the words that they're saying, to a degree, since their pronunciation is familiar to me. I can't say the same for the Montevidéu way of speaking Spanish. For one, the letter 'y' seems to make a 'ch' or 'sh' sound, while in the Mexico City Spanish, it makes the soft 'j' sound. The sounds in general sound softer and slightly more 'slurred' in the Montevidéu dialect. I can understand certain words and phrases, but sometimes I struggle to understand what they're saying.

3) The fact that there are so many varieties of Spanish introduces some issues that come with a “general Spanish” education. The nature of there being so many forms of Spanish often means that there will be some forms that receive more or less attention than others. While this might not be as much of an issue for Spanish students who want to continue to live in the United States, who I imagine usually will be exposed to only a few types of Spanish, and therefore do not necessarily need to know about the other forms of Spanish to get by, it might be more difficult for those students to travel to a certain Spanish-speaking countries and easily understand what it being said.

-Shuzon Talukdar

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1. Argentina (Buenos Aires - Capital, Stella Maris Baygorria) and Chile (Santiago - Capital, Débora Verdugo)

2. It is extremely interesting to compare the languages of two different countries. In this scenario, both Argentina and Chile speak Spanish, but the ways in which they do so differs. To begin, I listened to the Buenos Aires variant first. I found it fairly simple to follow along with what the narrator was saying. I noticed that they utilize the “vos” verb in their casual conversations, which I was previously unaware of. Additionally, the narrator spoke at an adequate speed and used an abundance of connecting words. Afterwards, I listened to the Santiago variant from Chile. I found that this variant was slightly harder to follow along. While the narrator was speaking fairly slowly, I found that the way she was pronouncing her words was a little less emphasized than the Buenos Aires recording. However, I think that it is crucial to listen to numerous variants of Spanish, allowing me to understand and communicate with a larger number of people.

3. There are a plethora of opportunities that students learning Spanish as a second language face. As I mentioned in my previous response, learning different variants of Spanish allows us to communicate with more individuals. Additionally, it allows students to expand their vocabulary and knowledge on the Spanish language. However, there are challenges as well. By having to learn from numerous variants, it is easy for students to get confused on what is or is not correct. Also, each country possesses different cultural norms for their dialects of Spanish. For example, using the “vos” verb in Argentina is acceptable, but it may not be in Chile.

- Aheen Hajibadri

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- Chile - Región de los Ríos - Valdivia (José Miguel Hernández)

- México - México Distrito Federal - Capital (Lucero Vaca)

1. I chose Chile because where I work, there are a lot of Chilean 2nd generation people where I work. My non-Chilean Hispanic coworkers always complain about how it's hard to understand them even though they speak the same language. Judging from the recording, they were right. It is a very different but similar accent that I'm sort of familiar with, but it's all slurred together. It was hard for me to tell when they moved on to another sentence. This variation is definitely not something I'd recommend to a new Spanish speaker. In opposition, México Distrito Federal was almost harsh? This weirdly made it easier to understand what they were (as someone learning). It felt very business or to the point, In all very formal. It was all very clear, and I could pick up on more words easier.

3. Learning Spanish comes with many challenges and opportunities, especially for someone learning it as their second language. Fortunately or unfortunately, there are a plethora of dialects, so depending on who you learn from or if you do immersion in a country in Latin America, you may learn Spanish differently to a degree. One challenge might be just having to learn the language. It can be hard as an adult or YA to learn a new language because we aren't the sponges we were as children. Fortunately, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the US. Most Spanish speaking people I've met are happy to help you practice or teach you tips and tricks.

- Tony P.

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1. Yo elegí Ecuador y Argentina como mis ejemplos. Ecuador y Argentina son dos países de Sudamérica donde se habla español como idioma oficial, pero existen diferencias en la forma en que las personas hablan español en estos dos países.  Hay algunas diferencias en la pronunciación de ciertos sonidos entre los dos países. Por ejemplo, en Argentina, las letras "ll" e "y" a menudo se pronuncian con un sonido "sh", mientras que en Ecuador, se pronuncian con un sonido "y" o "j". En Ecuador no se usa el "vos" como en Argentina. Las expresiones y vocabulario son muy diferentes.

2. Para los estudiantes de español como segunda lengua, el hecho de que existan tantas variedades del español puede presentar tanto retos como oportunidades. Es difícil entender y comunicarse con personas de diferentes países. Cada variedad del español tiene sus propias características y peculiaridades, como el uso de diferentes expresiones, acentos y vocabulario. Hablar un segundo idioma mejora de las oportunidades laborales. Conocer diferentes variedades del español puede ser una habilidad valiosa en el mercado laboral, especialmente en aquellos trabajos que requieren interactuar con personas de diferentes países.

-Brittany Bustamante

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1. Lima - (Lander Aspajo Quiñonez) and México Distrito Federal (Lucero Vaca)

2. The way of speaking Spanish in México Distrito Federal is quite different from Peru. The words sounded a bit harsher compared to the soft way the person from Peru spoke. I feel as someone listening and trying to understand what is said, it may be easier to listen to the dialect from México. The way of speaking Spanish words in Peru were less enunciated and felt like listening to a lullaby almost. The recording from México felt a lot like listening to a news broadcast because reporters are trained to speak in a way that keeps you actively engaged, and I felt that it would be impossible for my mind to wander while listening to such strong pronunciation. With the dialect of Peru, the words were certainly still pronounced clearly, but it truly felt more like a song.

3. I believe that there are many challenges and opportunities for someone learning Spanish as a second language. There are many dialects, which only means that you can travel and experience the culture to fully learn them. I think that is both a challenge and an opportunity because traveling is not easy. However, it is very fulfilling. Additionally, if you don’t want to travel, there are many Spanish speaking people from all over Latin America (and Spain I suppose) in our area. From my experience, people are always happy to share and talk about their culture with someone who respects it and is eager to learn.

-Pattie Douglas

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Colombia - Liz Marian Colmenares Delgado

Chile- José Miguel Hernández

1. I chose Chile because my friend, who is a foreign exchange student, is always talking about how Chile has the “worst” Spanish and even a lot of native Spanish speakers find the Chilean accent difficult to understand. From what I heard in the recording, there is a lot of aspiration and it’s sometimes difficult to tell when one word ends and where the other begins. This, in addition to the speed, makes it incredibly difficult to understand (as someone who does not speak Spanish, at least). In comparison, the speaker from Colombia spoke much slower. It sounded like she enunciated the words more, making it clearer and easier to understand for someone who is not as familiar with the language. In general, I find it incredibly interesting that countries that speak the same language can have such drastic differences in grammar, word usage, and accents.

2. I think there are plenty of opportunities for people who have spanish as a second language. It’s the second most spoken language in the world and after gaining familiarity with that, I imagine it would be much easier to learn to other Romance languages. In terms of challenges, I think one of the main ones would be learning to use it in day-to-day life. Learning a language in a classroom is very different from speaking it to native speakers from different backgrounds. I think that can be especially difficult if you’re communicating with a speaker that comes from a country that uses a lot of slang and has lots of variations in terms of grammar.

Ash Chan

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1. Chile(Débora Verdugo) y Argentina (Liliana Calvente)

2.  I think it is very interesting to hear two different varieties of Spanish. This is my first time truly analyzing and listening to the differences of the Spanish language from different countries. So far my only experience was with the lecture and learning about how the pronouns vos, tú, y usted are used differently in different countries and how words mean different things in other countries. Though I could not comprehend completely, when listening to the recording from Argentina, Santa Fe it was much easier to make out words and to hear what she was saying. For the recording from Chile, Santiago it was a little bit more difficult for me to understand the words she was saying. To further explain, it seemed like there was not a strong pronunciation of some of her letters making it hard for me to comprehend. Both of the audio recordings sounded a little fast, so I will say they were about equal for the speed.

3. There are many challenges and opportunities that students learning Spanish as a second language have. For instance, it allows them to travel and actually understand the country that they visit better. Should they chose to go to a Spanish speaking country. Also, Spanish is the second most spoken language so you are bound to use it whether you decide to travel or stay in your home country. Some challenges are that learning any new language is hard, and if you don't practice speaking it can be very difficult. Also, Spanish has different grammer rules and sentence structures. So if english is your first language you will have to get used to forming sentences in a new way.

-Jasmine Gary

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1. Peru (Lander Aspajo Quiñonez) y Venezuela (Rebeca Castellanos Gómez)
2. I picked these two countries because my step-grandmother is from Peru and I talk to her and her family a lot, so I am a little familiar with how they speak, and I chose Venezuela because I want to visit there. With that being said, I am used to hearing accents from Peru so it sounds normal to me and very familiar. What I have noticed listening to peruvians talk is they can say words very fast but also very clear. It is easy to understand the words they say but sometimes hard to keep up with how fast they talk and how many words they can say so quickly. From what I can tell from how the person from Venezuela talks, she speaks fast as well, but not as clear. Some words are very hard to understand as she speaks. As well as this, she speaks very choppy. The tone of her voice feels like it goes up and down every other word. She speaks so smoothly but at parts can be hard to understand.
3. There are many challenges and opportunities for those who are bilingual. For one, whatever language you are learning second, it will be a struggle to learn especially if you are in a country where your first language isn't spoken, that creates a whole list of problems on its own. I think their are a lot of opportunities as well though to those who are bilingual. For one, you can translate for those who don't know the countries language. You can be useful in many ways to translate whether it be helping someone shop, helping someone report a crime or find their way around. As well as this, you could teach young children at schools and help them to learn the countries language to they don't feel left behind. Being bilingual opens many doors for job opportunities and many more.

-Eric Howe

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1. El Salvador (Clovis Mondragón Hernández) y Peru (Lander Aspajo Quiñonez)
2. I picked these two countries because that is where my parents are from. along with listening to the short videos, I had my mom and dad both repeat similar things in Spanish to see a greater difference. Salvadorians tend to speak with a thicker accent in my opinion, they spread their words when they talk and I also learned that they speak in "Voseo" form. Even when they speak properly or "profesional" you can still hear the form of voseo. Peruvians bunch up their words when they speak because they talk very fast. even when using a calm voice like the video I was listening to I could still hear the fast pace tone. my mom is Peruvian and when she speaks to me I can hear her put more emphasis on certain words. Unlike El Salvador, Peru used the Voseo form only in some areas, it is not as common over there.
3. I think students have a higher advantage when it comes to being bilingual. they can connect with more students who only speak Spanish and help the transition from only Spanish to both Spanish and English-speaking words. They can also get scholarships just for being Latinos(as). I think rewards are also given to students who are bilingual for higher academic goals being reached. There are also groups on campus that are meant for students who speak different languages so you get to experience what other people go through if they help anyone who is only Spanish speaking, etc... being able to read and write in a different language also looks good on your transcripts and can get you better or higher opportunities when looking for jobs after graduating. it can also lead to good recommendations from professors, especially from the language department at George Mason.

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1.  Primero, de uno de estos sitios web,  http://coral.ufsm.br/voces/amostras.htm o http://prosodia.upf.edu/atlasentonacion/mapa_l.html, elige dos (2) variedades del español y escucha cómo hablan.

2. Segundo, explica en inglés o en español qué te parecen las variedades del español y qué diferencias aprecias. Escribe al menos 150 palabras.

3. Tercero, termina tu respuesta diciendo qué retos y qué oportunidades ofrece para los estudiantes de español como segunda lengua que haya tantas variedades del español. Tienes la opción de escribir esta parte en inglés o en español. Escribe al menos 100 palabras.

No se te olvide de poner tu nombre al pie de tu entrada y de citar tus fuentes.