Local accents

I thought it would be quite interesting to have a little break from grammar and talk about accents. People often ask me whether the Spanish language has different accents like English, and the answer is yes they do. There are broad similarities between the accents of various parts of the country – for example the north and the south, and also there are many small differences of accent and vocabulary even from one town or village to another. In other words, I think Spanish accents are at least as varied as English ones.

I am not a great expert on the subject but I am aware of some of the basic differences, and over the years have developed a bit of an ear for accents, although I think this is very difficult for us foreigners. Sometimes I can hear a difference which I can’t quite put my finger on it, which is something that also happens when the Spanish hear our different accents.

So, starting from the “top left”, Galicia, and also Asturias, have a characteristically “sing- song” way of speaking. In many parts of Asturias they also change the “o” vowel for a “u” vowel. The capital city Oviedo is “Uvieu” in the local dialect called “bable” or “asturianu”. Words ending in “ado” are often pronounced “au” (as in helado – helau). It’s tempting to go into more detail but I must move on!

Further east in Cantabria there is much purer Castilian accent, at least in the capital of Santander, as this area has always had strong historical links with inland Castilla. The area of old Castilla (north west of Madrid) is where the purest Castilian accent is found. If you have ever met anyone from Salamanca, Valladolid or Segovia, they are likely to have informed you that their accent is the purest and the best one to imitate.

Madrid people tend to speak a very rapid form of Castilian Spanish which takes some getting used to. Over to the east in Cataluña there is a throaty quality to the language, influenced by French and by their own Catalan language. Further south in the region of Murcia the language is rather nasal and also notable for the absence of the letter “s” at the ends of words. Many people think the Murcian accent sounds rather sloppy. Andalucía is a huge area with all sorts of variations, but as a generalization they usually pronounce the characteristic Spanish “th” sound as an “s”, so that “gracias” sounds like “grasias” for example. The hardest accent to understand is from Cadiz which is incredibly rapid and full of “sh” and “ch” sounds. As well as this, the people from Cadiz are famous for being very quick-witted, which means you’re lucky to understand a single word!

I’ve missed out quite a lot of regions, not to mention the islands and all of South and central America! One last comment which I think is of great interest is that the Spanish do not have “class” accents. Obviously there are more or less educated people speaking better or worse Spanish, but there is no concept of “posh” or “working class” accents which so label us Brits as soon as we open our mouths!