learning spanish

[Marianopolita]

Originally Posted by Kyle

i can say from my experience it seems quite difficult because of the countries i visit. basic spanish works ok but local slang is another thing. i spend my vacation time between costa rica, panama, puerto rico and the dominican republic.

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Local slang in general is not part of formal language learning anyway. In general, it's a part of language one acquires via exposure to Spanish spoken in a country, region or from speakers who are from a specific Spanish-speaking country. Slang should not be confused with idioms and fixed expressions.

It should be used when a person has a very good or strong comfort level in their second, third language etc. and not used casually because unknowingly it can be very offensive and taken the wrong way. Even though you may hear a person speak using a lot of slang words and expressions, it's not recommended to parallel that speaking pattern if you are learning Spanish. Therefore, in a nutshell don't worry about the local argot. You will pick up words and expressions along the way but I always believe that people should limit the amount of slang they use with beginners in any language. If we are referring to the tourist industry, slang should not be used at all by the locals when dealing with tourists, guests etc. even those who are native speakers from other countries. It's inappropriate and a word in one country can mean something completely different and even offensive in another.

Television shows have plenty of slang and what I have observed lately is the amount of Mexican slang being used by non-Mexican Spanish speakers. It was to the point where I had to look for a good resource (link) online to understand some of the words. Do you watch Spanish television? You will pick up local argot overnight.

Regarding the DR, slang is a vibrant part of the vernacular but once again it says a lot about the speaker. One whose main vocabulary is slang and then improper Spanish should tell you something about the speaker's command of his/ her own language. In Puerto Rico, my observation was interesting because the notion is that everyone speaks English and that's far from the case. PR Spanish reminds of when the spoken language does not evolve due to isolation. Panama City, Panama is a place where I enjoy the spoken language and their history makes it a very interesting country to examine linguistically. However, in my experience in language, research is limited on the Panamanian vernacular. Costa Rica is on my list of places to visit not only to get to know CR but also to remark on certain aspects of language.


-Marianopolita.

[ExtremeR]

Originally Posted by Kyle

i can say from my experience it seems quite difficult because of the countries i visit. basic spanish works ok but local slang is another thing. i spend my vacation time between costa rica, panama, puerto rico and the dominican republic.
relating to Chip's post, is it normal to write and understand better than you speak ? i have 2 out of 3 down pretty well. (helps out on badoo.com])

It is funny how backwards is different, I am a native spanish speaker and english is my second language and for me writing and speaking is easy, understanding is my harder specially when the other person speaks fast, I'm really better at that than a couple of years back but still have some hiccups with it.

[jrhartley]

reading is always easier because you read it to yourself the way you think it should sound,which is not necessarily how it sounds in reality.You can also see where one word ends and another begins. Comosta