Wednesday, October 5, 2016

The Many Variations of the Spanish Language

 

Serving as a partner and business consultant at Florida-based firm MCG, Max Crumit received his business training from the University of Chicago's Executive Business Institute. When not working, Max Crumit enjoys learning the Spanish language.

Behind Mandarin, Spanish is the second most popular language. It is estimated that there are around 400 million Spanish speakers in the world. In the United States alone, there are already 30 to 40 million Spanish speakers, thus explaining its mainstream presence across American media, particularly on television.

Despite the language's popularity, it is important to note that there are many differences in the way Spanish is spoken in various parts of the world. The most notable difference is the accent, which can vary greatly, depending on the geographical location. Arguably the most distinctive among the regional accents is the Argentinian. For example, the standard pronunciation of llamo,” is "yahmo.” Argentinians pronounce it "shahmo,” while “caballo” can sound like “ca-badge-o,” showing the native treatment of the double “L.” There are also minor grammar and vocabulary disparities hat highlight the difference between Spanish in Spain and in Latin America.