Answers
Oct 23, 2016 - 09:51 AM
I will be interested to see what the experts say to your question. I am midway through the course and have had several pronunciation issues. I live part time in Cozumel Mexico and have been corrected many times by the locals when I use the pronunciation from the course. I had the same issue with the "V" particularly with Viente when discussing prices. I have also been corrected on the double ll, which here they pronounce close to a "y" instead of the "j" used in the course, mostly by taxi drivers when I say Calle. And Yo is pronounced here as Yo but in the course as Jo. This happened to me right at the beginning of the course. I am not midway through level 4. So after I encountered this; when I do the pronunciation drills I do them using what I hear here in Mexico, but it is confusing when I play the answer and it is different. I have adapted. I hope the course developers chime in here. I would like to see what they say. Otherwise I really love the course and it has helped me a lot in my new home in Mexico.
Oct 23, 2016 - 11:56 AM
You say you have adapted and I think that's the most important thing. Pronunciation really comes down to which country you are in. Yo pronounced with a y as in Mexico is often pronounced as a j in Puerto Rico, the same with the double ll. While I do wish they had chosen one set prononciation and stuck with it throughout the course, in the end I think you just have to choose either which you're more comfortable with and/or which is the local dialogue. The v vs b pronounciation confused me for the longest time until I finally read somewhere that there is no V sound, as in English. If you always pronounce it as a "b" you'll err on the side of being correct and no one will have any problems understanding you.
Oct 24, 2016 - 07:21 PM
It is also a geographical standpoint as well guys whether or not you use a J or double LL. Depending on where you go will depend on how it is said. As for V vs B, it is also where you are and either Or how you prefer to say it. However if you will pronounce one word one way just be sure you pronounce it the same way every time to avoid confusion on what word you are trying to say. Some places in Latin America will only use the B pronunciation in all words no matter if it starts with a V or a B, but you'll also find in some places words that start with B will have a V sound. It just depends on where you are. Just like in Spain, they use the TH sound to say the S sound with the words we use with the S pronunciation . Instead of saying the number 5 "cinco", they'll pronounce it as "thinco" with a TH sound instead. HOWEVER some words in Latin America will have a mix of the TH sound when saying the D in spanish. For instance, when saying "thank you" (de nada) I have often gotten corrected in pronouncing it as "de natha" with a soft and fast "th", because nada also means "you swim" and they will hear that instead. Hope that helps clear it up and wasn't over explaining it, just trying to be thorough and helpful! :)
Oct 30, 2016 - 11:01 PM
I'm just back from a month in Chile and Argentina. Pronunciation? Take your pick. To say "Do you want chicken" ¿Vos querés comer posho? Or ¿Tú quiere poyo?" How are you : Cómo estái or cómo estás? Would you stop an english learner and correct him or her each time he or she says something with an american accent vs a british accent or vice versa? Color or Colour? The goal here is to be understood and have a conversation, and although I love being corrected when I make grammatical mistakes (ser vs estar is a common one) or obvious accent errors (like saying sabádo instead of sábado), it can be very frustrating being stopped everytime just because you don't sound local. I don't think you bought Fluenz to learn the Cozumel accent! What Fluenz teaches you is a very neutral accent, so u will be understood everywhere you go. Then you adapt. After a few weeks in Chile I started saying things like "ella eeta muy cerca, entonse voya eperaala“ (ella está muy cerca, entonces voy a esperarla). I just couldn't make myself say things like "me shamo" for "me llamo" when in Argentina. So I sounded very foreign but they understood me and we had fluid conversations, so to me that's what is important. When in Chile, my Mexican friend had to get people to repeat because he couldn't understand what they said. Don't feel bad. I would personally ignore anything that is accent related, but I would pay attention to grammatical and accentuation errors. So for b or v ? You're safer prouncing v as a b than the opposite. Bamos vs Vamos will be understood any way. Vaños instead of Baños will not.
Nov 03, 2016 - 10:59 AM
Hi, in Spanish the "v" and the "b" have the same sound, more or less like the English "b" (maybe a little softer). Depending on the country, some speakers might pronounce the "v" like in English, but not in all words, mostly when it is at the beginning of a word. So I'd recommend pronouncing both letters like a "b", everybody will understand you. As for the "ll" and the "y" sounds, there is no "universal" pronunciation, it varies a lot depending on the region and the speaker. In most places it sounds like something between the English j and y sounds, except in Argentina and Uruguay, where it sounds "sh". Don't worry too much about it, just keep practicing as much as you can :-)
