Many people get confused when they hear and compare the accents of native speakers from Spain with those of some speakers from Latin American countries. They even think that the differences between the two accents are so great that it is very difficult for speakers from other countries to understand each other. Do you feel the same way?
The truth is that regardless of the country of origin of Spanish speakers, they can understand each other with very little difficulty just as people from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries can understand each other despite the differences in their accents and vocabulary. However, we recognize that there are some words that are pronounced completely differently and it is necessary to be aware of this.
Now, we understand that these changes can be a big headache for many students of Spanish, so we want to present you with some key scenarios and questions that can help you decide which type of accent you should learn.
No accent is better or worse than any other.
Before we begin, we want to clarify that no accent is better than any other. Each has its own unique characteristics and its own beauty. We do not believe that the Spanish or Castilian spoken in Spain is better because the Royal Spanish Academy is in Spain or that the Colombian accent is the best because it is considered the most “neutral”. Just as there are different people in the world with their unique personalities, the Spanish spoken in different countries of the world is just as special and valid to learn.
How to know which Spanish accent we should learn.
Think carefully and answer the following questions to get a clearer idea of what your process of learning Spanish might be like.
- What is your main reason for learning Spanish?
At Diglosia we believe in the importance of having a reason to learn Spanish that is powerful enough to help you stay on track even when difficult moments come that make you lose motivation and you want to give up. You can apply this to anything you want to achieve in life, from playing an instrument to learning a sport or another language. And since we know that learning a second language is not an easy task, we believe it is especially important to have the right reasons to keep going.
- What are your future plans?
Do you plan to travel to a Spanish-speaking country in the future? For what reason? It is very different to want to learn Spanish to go on vacation to a Latin country or Spain to visit your family and friends or to go sightseeing than to move to one of these countries for a long period of time to work or do business.
Depending on the reason, the time you will have to dedicate to your study and the type of vocabulary you will have to learn first will be very different. In any of these cases, it is best to choose and learn the way of speaking of the country you want to visit or move to, that way it will be easier to adapt to the way the natives speak and you can improve your communication skills faster.
- Is there any aspect of Latin or Spanish culture that you like?
Nowadays we live in a globalized world where we have access to different types of content such as music, movies, series, documentaries, and more in almost every language that exists in the world. For this reason, if there is any culture or content that has caught your attention, you can focus on learning the Spanish of the specific region of origin first.
You will see that from there it will be easier for you to continue learning specialized vocabulary from other regions or countries since you will have a lot of ground covered in relation to Spanish grammar and vocabulary in general.
We hope that with these questions and scenarios you will be able to make the best decision about learning Spanish that is beneficial to you. You know that it doesn’t matter which Spanish accent you learn, whether it is from Spain or from a Latin country.
The important thing is that you are aware of the reasons behind your decision to learn the language and that you have fun in the process.
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