Quick question re Spain/Latin American Spanish...

[Colleen]

Thanks to previous discussion here, I'm aware the differences between 'Spain Spanish' and 'Latin American Spanish' are minor. Based on that, would it be unreasonable to use the Latin American version of Rosetta Stone Spanish alongside Galore Park's "So You Really Want to Learn Spanish" (using Spain Spanish)? Or would you make a point of using the RS's Spain Spanish?

 

This is based on the assumption that I'll go ahead and use the Galore Park program. Breaking the Spanish Barrier looks quite good, too, and I believe that uses L.A. Spanish.

 

What say you?

[JFSinIL]

Growing up in S. Ca we only learned "regular" Spanish - none of the "vosotros" verb stuff. We were told it was only used in Spain. I do not know what other difference there may be - my ds, in high school here in the Midwest, IS being made to learn that extra verb ending for vosotros.

 

I doubt I have been of any help whatsoever. But I think if you need to want to merge ro mix up two programs, and one used "v" and one doesn't it will be no big deal.

[Jean in Wisc]

I think that if you are going to learn Spanish you should learn the you-plural form which is not used in LA, you should be able to hear through the various dialects including Spain's, and you should be aware that the vocabulary changes from country to country. Learning both LA's pronunciation and Spain's is not that hard, and it might benefit.

 

I was disadvantaged when I arrived in Spain in my college years because my high school teacher had never taught us the you-plural form of any verb :glare:. But the next summer when I was in Mexico, the biggest difference was in vocabulary. Yes--the pronunciation was different, but that varies from region to region, not just Spain to LA. I've found the speach of many South Americans to be MUCH more difficult to translate than the Spaniard's.

 

FWIW,

J

[Jane in NC]

No experience with Spanish curricula on my end, but I thought that I would add to the discussion my niece's experience. She spent a summer or two working in a Migrant Worker's Legal program. Although she had studied Spanish throughout high school and college, in order to understand her clients from Mexico and Central America, she had to carry around massive notebooks of local idioms which are often confined to small geographic areas within countries.

 

It seems impossible to thoroughly master all dialects. I would think that a formal study would be best with conversational exposure to people who speak different forms of Spanish in everyday life.

 

But we don't do Spanish so my take may have no bearing on this discussion.

 

Jane

[nmoira]

I'd mix 'em up.

 

We're using The Learnables, which (from Level 2 on) uses native speakers from various Latin American countries and occasionally one from Spain. I think it's good to hear different accents and pronunciations, even at the beginning. DD is also using Visual Link Spanish as a supplement; it has a pronunciation CD-ROM that explains most of the differences.

 

Eventually we'll be adding in SYRWTLS in conjunction with The Learnables.

[Colleen]

She spent a summer or two working in a Migrant Worker's Legal program. Although she had studied Spanish throughout high school and college, in order to understand her clients from Mexico and Central America, she had to carry around massive notebooks of local idioms which are often confined to small geographic areas within countries. It seems impossible to thoroughly master all dialects.

 

Oh, no doubt! High German and Swiss German are different animals, for example.:)

 

I would think that a formal study would be best with conversational exposure to people who speak different forms of Spanish in everyday life.

 

Yes, that's always a plus. The Spanish-speaking community in this area is primarily Mexican, with some Central American representation as well. That's one reason I'm leaning toward the Latin American version of RS.

[Laurie4b]

It won't be confusing to learn both. The vosotros form would be something additional. The differences in pronunciation are minor, and pretty equivalent to being able to understand someone with a lisp.

[Yolanda in Mass]

I'm not familiar with the 2nd curriculum you mentioned, but I am a native Spanish speaker from Panama and have taught Spanish informally. IMO, I would use the RS LA version as it's the Spanish that you're more likely to encounter. When you do encounter the vosotros and other such minor differences in the other curriculum you mentioned, become familiar with it, but don't 'angst' about it. I never use 'vosotros' as all my conversations have been with Central and So. Americans who don't use it. Maybe Argentines do, but I could be wrong. Remember, there are more LA Spanish speakers than not!

 

 

HTH,

Yolanda