Showing posts with label Spain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spain. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Speaking In Spain By Clinton Maxwell

Clinton Maxwell

Learning the Spanish language starts by learning the Spanish alphabet. You will need to fully understand how to say each word and letter of the alphabet with the correct pronunciation. Take some time to study the alphabet to be able to do this.


The Spanish alphabet is a combination of the Latin and Arabic languages. You will find that the rules and the punctuation in the alphabet are quite similar to each. For those with this type of language background, learning Spanish will be simplistic. In most aspects, the alphabet is that of the Latin alphabet but there are some important differences.


The differences include:


Accent so which is used over the vowels in some cases. Those with the accent are actually variations of those without.


Another differences is the letter n. The tilde can be used in some cases in the alphabet. Each is a different letter in the alphabet.


In addition, there are two letters that are considered diagraphs: ll and ch and therefore are considered to be separate letters all on their own.


Saying The Spanish Alphabet


For those that speak English, much of the pronunciation of the letters is quite similar to what you say now. An example is the letter C, which has two sounds including sounding like K and S. Some letters sound different though. The J sounds like the letter H. The V sounds like the letter B in English. The letter Z sounds like that of S. And, the letter R makes a rolling R sound.


You also need to learn a bit more about some differences in the alphabet. The vowels that have accents do two things. The first is to mark for a stress of that letter which helps you to know how to pronunciation it. In addition, it serves to show differences in two different words.


When you are writing Spanish, the stress is on the last syllable of the world. When a word ends with a constant letter, this provides stress on the last syllable of the word. There are always some instances when this is not true though. For example, if there is an accent on the stressed vowel, there is no stress on the last syllable. In addition to these aspects, there are also rules in the language which provide for syllable count to know when to assign the accents to the Spanish words.


Although these aspects of the Spanish alphabet may seem a bit troublesome and confusing here, the fact is that it takes some practice with saying and later writing the words to learn this. Learning the language is simplified when you give yourself time to do so. You will find many resources available to you on the web to help you to learn Spanish if you are ever in Spain.


Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=155429&ca=Education

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Learning The Alphabet And Language Of Spain By Peter Wilson

Peter Wilson

The Spanish alphabet only has three more letters than the English alphabet, ch (che), ll (elle) and n (ene). All three letters simply follow the letter from the English alphabet which starts with the same or similar letter. The Spanish alphabet is as follows: a,b,c,ch,d,e,f,g,h,I,j,k,l,ll,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z.


However, there is some controversy over the letters “w” and “k” due to their similar language origin. No Spanish words contain the letters “w” and “k” unless added through translation. Also, the letter “rr” is used in some versions of the Spanish alphabet when the “r” is rolled.


A Spanish dictionary may add to the confusion regarding the inclusion or exclusion of certain letters. For example, older dictionaries may list all words containing “ch” after all words beginning with “c” while new versions list the “ch” words in alphabetical order as with the English language. On the contrary, this is opposite when referring to the letter “n.” This change occurred in 1994.


To add more confusion, some letters may not be part of the official alphabet but are created by adding accents to the letters. For example, adding accents to the vowels o, e or u alter their pronunciation and, consequently, their meaning. These accented vowels are not included in the alphabet separately. Though other languages may add these accented vowels separately, when learning the Spanish language you must simply remember the variants of these vowels when accented.


If you speak English, you already know some Spanish words since these languages are both based on the Romance language. Though the spelling may be different, the pronunciation is almost identical with only the accent differing the words. For example, the word “baby” in English is pronounced similar to the Spanish word “bebe.” As you see, though, the spellings are different.


Once you have a good grasp on the Spanish alphabet, you will be ready to begin learning the language for your next trip. The residents of Spain welcome travelers and will be flattered at your attempts to communicate with them in their language. Also take some time to learn about the Spanish culture. This will make your trip even more enjoyable. You will find, though, that in the larger more tourism-based areas, everyone also speaks English. But, do not let that discourage you from improving your Spanish speaking skills. Keep practicing and be prepare for your next trip to Spain!


Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=154748&ca=Education