| A dialect is defined in linguistic terms as a language | | | | Spain and those of Latin America is the use of |
| variety which is spoken in a specific territory. In the | | | | pronouns. Thus, in Spain, the informal pronoun that has |
| Spanish peninsula, for example, there are different | | | | remained for the second person singular (in English |
| dialects of Spanish. One should not, however, mix up | | | | "you") is "tu". However, some Latin American countries, |
| the different dialects in Spain with the different | | | | (Argentina, Uruguay or Paraguay, for example) have |
| languages spoken in the Peninsula: Spanish, Catalan, | | | | retained the pre-modern "vos". This leads to unique |
| Basque and Galician. | | | | verb forms such as "¿entendes?" for "do you |
| The existence of dialects is a natural consequence of | | | | understand?" instead of the peninsular |
| the dynamism of languages. For example, throughout | | | | "¿entiendes?" or mixtures such as "¿Vos te |
| its evolution, Spanish has adopted unique | | | | marchas ya?" Instead of "¿Tu te marchas ya?" |
| characteristics in the different places where it is | | | | (In English, "are you leaving now?"). |
| spoken. Some of the dialects of Spanish in Spain are | | | | The plural "you" also varies, and thus in Spain people |
| canario (from the Canary Islands), andaluz (from | | | | differentiate between an informal "vosotros" and a |
| Andalusia), and madrileno (from Madrid). The different | | | | formal "ustedes", whereas this difference does not |
| Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America also | | | | exist in Latin America at all. As for pronunciation |
| present national and regional variations. Thus, we can | | | | differences, the only country where we can find |
| speak of an Argentinean, a porteno (from Buenos | | | | speakers who pronounce the letter "c" before "e" and |
| Aires city), a Chilean, or a Colombian dialect, among | | | | "i" as the English "th" is Spain. In the rest of the |
| others. | | | | countries, (and also in the South of Spain) this "c" is |
| The differences between dialects are usually limited to | | | | pronounced as an "s". Try to pronounce the word |
| intonation, pronunciation and isolated words and | | | | "cenicero" (ashtray) in both ways and you'll hear the |
| expressions. An example of word variation within the | | | | difference! |
| Spanish peninsula is "candle". Candle is referred to as | | | | Even though dialects are socially valued differently |
| "vela" in the northern and center parts of Spain, but as | | | | (Andalusian, for example, is perceived as less |
| "candela" in the South. As for pronunciation, the word | | | | educated than Castilian), linguistically speaking all |
| "Madrid" is pronounced in the capital of Spain as | | | | dialects are equally valid. What we need to remember |
| "Madrith", whereas in the bilingual areas of the East | | | | is that everyone speaks a dialect, and therefore |
| coast, and because of the contact between Spanish | | | | dialects are NOT incorrect or less valid versions of a |
| and Catalan, it becomes "Madrit". In the South, | | | | language. If you study Spanish in Buenos Aires and |
| however, people tend to eliminate the final consonant | | | | interact -as you should- with locals, you will learn the |
| and say "Madri". | | | | particularities of that area. |
| One of the main differences between the dialects of | | | | |