Manners
and Styles of Speech
Phonetic
Particularities
There are several phonetic varieties peculiar
to the modern Spanish speech in the different regions of the world. Among
them are:
Seseo
The seseo consists in pronouncing the sound
[0] (written C
/ Z) as [s]. This phenomenon occurs mainly in America. It is strongly
rebuked by the Spanish Royal Academy.
Ceceo
The pronunciation of the sound [s] (written
S) as [0]
is labeled ceceo. This phenomenon is characteristic for the people of the
Spanish province of Andalusia.
Lleismo
Lleismo is called the archaic pronunciation
of Ll as palatalized [
]
(similar to the English li in milion). This phenomenon occurs exclusively
in eastern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay.
Yeismo
and *Yeismo
Yeismo refers to the pronunciation of Ll as
[j] (like the English y in oyes). This pronunciation is officially upheld
by the Spanish Royal Academy.
In Argentina and Uruguay both Y and Ll
tend to be pronounced [
]
(as the English s in measure). This phenomenon is referred to as *yeismo
(read zhe-).
Grammar
Particularities
Spanish speech has also some varieties concerning
the usage of the Personal
pronouns.
Laísmo
Laísmo is the wrong usage of the personal
direct object pronoun for feminine la (pl. las) instead of
the indirect object pronoun le (pl. les), cf.:
-
Felipe la dijo la verdad (instead of
... le dijo la verdad a ella). Philip told
her the truth.
-
La madre las dio naranjas (instead
of ... las dio ... a ellas). The mother gave
them some oranges.
Leísmo
Leísmo is the usage of the personal
direct object pronoun le as the only form for masculine, cf.:
-
Aquel juguete no te le doy (and not
... no te lo doy). I don't [want to] give
this toy to you.
Loísmo
Loísmo is the wrong usage of the form
lo instead of le as a personal indirect object pronoun for masculine, cf.:
-
Lo doy un libro (instead of Le doy...)
I give a book to him.
Voseo
Voseo is the usage of the pronoun vos instead
of the subject pronoun tú; nevertheless, te is preserved as an object
form. The verbal forms, used with vos, have different endings, cf.:
| |
|
|
1st
Conjugation |
2nd
Conjugation |
3rd
Conjugation |
| |
Present
Indicative |
|
cantás |
comés |
partís |
| |
Present
Subjunctive |
|
cantés |
comás |
partás |
| |
Imperative |
|
cantá |
comé |
partí |
See the Simple
tenses.
Voseo occurs in Central America, North-western
Venezuela, Northern Colombia, Northern Ecuador, the major part of Bolivia
and Paraguay, in Argentina and Uruguay.
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Zdravko Batzarov