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shari
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Posts: 13048
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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sr. toneart...that should be que buena onda...
simone lencho...igual conmigo
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DianaT
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Registered: 12-17-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by lencho
| Quote: | Originally posted by jdtrotter
It is so much easier for me to understand Spanish when it is spoken very well by a native English speaker. |
This is something I've run into repeatedly and haven't really figured out.
I'm pretty fluent; when I'm in a mixed group speaking Spanish, my Gringo friends understand me better than they do the natives until I forget what
language I'm speaking and go off on some tangent with my Spanish-speaking buddies.
Then *nobody* understands me. 
--Larry |
It is all about those little differences in sounds, I believe. It is different than correct pronuciation ---much more subtle.
I will use Shari as one example---- She is very fluent in Spanish with all the
correct pronunciations etc., but she is A LOT easier for me to understand than anyone else in town.
So as fluent as you are, you must also have those little subtle sound things going on for your friends to understand you better.
There is just enough difference---the sounds made are more familiar to our gringo ears, I guess.
Now, what I do not understand are some people who NEVER try to learn to pronounce anything correctly---may never get all the sounds, but it is, IMHO,
easy to at least try to pronounce things correctly. I, however, have found some words that I do not think I will ever be able to pronounce.
Diane
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toneart
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Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by shari
sr. toneart...that should be que buena onda...
simone lencho...igual conmigo |
Si Senora!
This correction is a good example of the difficulties of becoming fluent in a 2nd language.
What we are mainly talking about are idioms; the way native speakers really talk; often regionally. If we were trying to construct the sentence
outside of idiomatic context, we learned that in Spanish, the adjective follows the noun...the reverse of English.
Ay! It is difficult bearing the shame of a Gringo.
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
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Mood: wait and see
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Q-Vo is for texting/e-mail/tweets etc.
BTW, I had two years of Southern pronounced French in High School. I can read maybe 30%, but would be hopeless trying to converse with a native
speaker. On the other hand I learned Spanish by osmosis. As a result, I am reasonably fluent conversationally (with Mexicans anyway) and I can read,
write and spell well enough but I would be hard pressed to quote any grammatical rules. I know instinctively what you are supposed to say and how to
say it according to the situation but I can rarely tell you WHY.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Mulegena
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Posts: 2412
Registered: 11-7-2006
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the music of language
| Quote: | Originally posted by toneart
Yes, Shari...You are right on regarding a musicians ear! Imagine my early torment trying to understand the literal meaning when Ella was Scat
Singing. |
 
I don't speak Spanish with a typical gringo accent because, I suppose, I've been around the language all my life and I'm a musician. Mexicans are
forever asking me if I'm Italian or French-- can't figure me out (I still can't figure me out, but we're talkin' language not philosophy here)
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oxxo
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Posts: 2347
Registered: 5-17-2006
Location: Wherever I am, I'm there
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Mood: If I was feeling any better, I'd be twins!
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What a refreshing change of pace on Nomads with this thread!
I wish I knew how to say the above in Spanish (or some idiom more appropriate)!
I try to listen to my amigos and then copy their sounds. If I ask how to spell the word in Spanish, I really get messed up trying to repeat it. Now
that my hearing is failing in one ear, it is becoming more difficult to hear their pronunciations.
!orale!
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DianaT
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Registered: 12-17-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oxxo
I try to listen to my amigos and then copy their sounds. If I ask how to spell the word in Spanish, I really get messed up trying to repeat it. Now
that my hearing is failing in one ear, it is becoming more difficult to hear their pronunciations.
!orale! |
I am primarily a visual learner---sounds can get scrambled for me. So, I often carry a pen and paper and ask someone to write an important word for
me. Once I see it, then I can hear it. If they are just spelling it, those pesky hidden sounds can get in the way---I need to see it.
Some do learn more easily through their ears, and others do not. It is also why I can read way more Spanish than I can understand or speak----
Diane
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toneart
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Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by jdtrotter
| Quote: | Originally posted by oxxo
I try to listen to my amigos and then copy their sounds. If I ask how to spell the word in Spanish, I really get messed up trying to repeat it. Now
that my hearing is failing in one ear, it is becoming more difficult to hear their pronunciations.
!orale! |
I am primarily a visual learner---sounds can get scrambled for me. So, I often carry a pen and paper and ask someone to write an important word for
me. Once I see it, then I can hear it. If they are just spelling it, those pesky hidden sounds can get in the way---I need to see it.
Some do learn more easily through their ears, and others do not. It is also why I can read way more Spanish than I can understand or speak----
Diane |
This is true, Diane.
People learn primarily through one or the other three modes:
Visual
Aural
Tactile
Some do have a blend or balance of all three, but most not.
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