Spanish 101

13 febrero

Accento de Andaluz

Andalucía is the southernmost region of Spain with its capital city being Sevilla. Much of this region and its cities, such as Córdoba, have remaining Moorish influences(upper right, Mosque of Córdoba), which have given Andalucia a strong, unique culture - in comparison to the rest of Spain. The Alhambra is another great example of this Muslim architecture, right in Granada.

While Andalusia can boast of many cultural and regional entities, such as the Andalusia horse, bullfighting, flamenco, and a thriving mountainous environment great for olive trees, the accent in this region is something to be said otherwise!

Unique to this area, sort of like the southern accent is to the rest of the United States, it can be a frustrating experience for a student studying a language here. It takes time, I have learned.

Those who have a traditional Andalusia accent drop off the last few letters of the word, while speaking at a rapid pace.

Por ejemplo:

Norte de España- Me gusto mucho este café, gracias.

Andaluz- Me gust much este café, gracia.

It has been said the Madrid is the best place for students to study Spanish, as they speak more clearly. However, I absolutely love Granada and Andalusia. There is more culture, after all the royal family, Ferdinand, Isabella, and Charles V are buried in Granada in the Capilla Real(above)! When I leave Granada and visit other cities in Spain, or even when I speak Spanish with people back home, it will seem like breeze! Until then, for me it's going to be listening intently and trying hard not to adopt this accent, which is a slightly less than perfect example of the language. Hast Luego :)