Best Safe South American Country to learn Spanish (train, visiting, cost)

[Carlito Brigante]

Originally Posted by somebodymiami

um lol, uruguay is the safest and most developed country in all of south america, costa rica is safe but not that much developed, Argentina is semi safe and developing as well, brazil is dangerous and only certain cities are developed, Chile is decent to

That is SO far from the truth!!! Costa Rica is definitely safe but is also one of the most developed countries in Latin America and definitely the most developed in Central America. That's one reason why you don't see many Ticos (Costa Ricans) in the US, because their economy is so stable and their country is so clean and safe. It's also one of the reasons why it's one of the most expensive Latin American countries; their dollar (the colon) is roughly equivalent to the US dollar. You could get around in Boliva, Colombia, Nicaragua, etc. cheaper than you could Costa Rica.

[Pimpinel]

70

I recommend you Zamora, Spain. No tourists, Castilian Spanish, low prices. Very safe.

As an AA they will stare at you because they are not used to AA except basketball players, but you'll make many friends and you will certainly score a lot. The city is beautiful and unknown even among Spaniards, great food.

[Carlito Brigante]

Castilian Spanish

People always assume Spain is the best place to learn Spanish just because they speak Castilian Spanish, but the reality is that if you live in the US, that's the least useful type of Spanish to learn because it's the kind you're least likely to hear. That's why most Spanish curriculums in US schools don't teach "vosotros"; it's good to know if you are ever in Spain, but for the most part, is a waste of time.

Kinda like how British English used to be the standard around the world for those who wanted to learn English, but these days people in many countries are learning American English because it has became the most predominant form of the language and because most foreigners are trying to get to the US, not the UK.

[Bideshi]

I guess if I wanted save money I'd choose Equador. The dollar goes a long way there.

[Neuling]

Originally Posted by ShaunJuan

Castilian Spanish

People always assume Spain is the best place to learn Spanish just because they speak Castilian Spanish, but the reality is that if you live in the US, that's the least useful type of Spanish to learn because it's the kind you're least likely to hear. That's why most Spanish curriculums in US schools don't teach "vosotros"; it's good to know if you are ever in Spain, but for the most part, is a waste of time.

Kinda like how British English used to be the standard around the world for those who wanted to learn English, but these days people in many countries are learning American English because it has became the most predominant form of the language and because most foreigners are trying to get to the US, not the UK.

The main problem is not so much words, but pronunciation. The use of such pronouns may differ, but it doesn't hinder communication the way pronunciation can. Argentinian Spanish sounds quite different from Spanish Spanish. But by and large I would say that Latin American varieties of Spanish are the easiest to understand, most of them sound so clear that they remind me of those Special English classes they had on VOA, AFN or whatever the station was

[Locutus10]

The language is exactly the the same in all Spanish Speaking countries. The correct grammar is exactly the same. Another thing is slang.

Argentinians also have dialects difficult to understand, dialects and lunfardo. Porteños have their own dialect, Mendocinos, etc.

Anyways, anybody that knows Spanish well will understand Spanish in any Spanish speaking country, not the case of English. You might know good English, but you won't understand any word in large areas of England and Scotland.

Americans should learn Spanish in Castile, Americans that speak with a Mexican accent look like some character from a spaghetti movie. But they should avoid Salamanca and Valladolid, those two cities are packed with Americans.

Bunch of nice little places.

[burgler09]

Originally Posted by Locutus10

The language is exactly the the same in all Spanish Speaking countries. The correct grammar is exactly the same. Another thing is slang.

Argentinians also have dialects difficult to understand, dialects and lunfardo.

Anyways, anybody that knows Spanish well will understand Spanish in any Spanish speaking country, not the case of English. You might know good English, but you won't understand any word in large areas of that country.

Americans should learn Spanish in Castile, Americans that speak with a Mexican accent look like some character from a spaghetti movie.

That's not close to being true.. that's flat out ignorant.

[Locutus10]

Spanish is regulated by the Real Academia de la Lengua. The Real Academia has its own chapter in every Speaking speaking country. So correct Spanish, the Spanish appearing on educated papers and media, is exactly the same in every Spanish speaking country except for some minor local changes.

Such a thing does not prevent the presence of slang or local "americanismos" or "hispanismos" that appear in the Diccionario de la Real Academia.

There's no such thing as Castilian Spanish or Argentinian Spanish, al least in educated media, another thing is accent.

[Neuling]

Originally Posted by Locutus10

Spanish is regulated by the Real Academia de la Lengua. The Real Academia has its own chapter in every Speaking speaking country. So correct Spanish, the Spanish appearing on educated papers and media, is exactly the same in every Spanish speaking country except for some minor local changes.

Such a thing does not prevent the presence of slang or local "americanismos" or "hispanismos" that appear in the Diccionario de la Real Academia.

There's no such thing as Castilian Spanish or Argentinian Spanish, al least in educated media, another thing is accent.

I am not so sure about that. Every country has its own separate organization for the national variety of Spanish. And all those bodies work together under an international roof, the Association of Spanish Language Academies.
What the Spanish Real Academia says is not binding for any other country but Spain. The mere word Spanish is banned from the names of most of those separate organizations for historic reasons. The word has a negative connotation, people prefer the term Castellano.

[Neuling]

Originally Posted by Kikoman100

Castilian and Spanish are exactly the same thing outside of Spain.
Spanish America was the property of Castile, so they spoke Castilian.
La Real Academia de la Lengua is binding in all Spanish/Castilian speaking countries. There's a delegation in every country.
Spanish has no negative connotation in Latin America, but it has a negative connotation in Catalonia, Basque Country and Galicia.

They mean the same thing, but many people in Latin America are a bit allergic to the words Spain and Spanish because of the colonial past. My friends in Uruguay for instance.

No, the Real Academia is only binding for Spain. Uruguay for instance is bound to their own Academia Nacional de Letras, which is not a chapter or delegation of the Real Academia, but a completely independent organization, just like the Real Academia in Spain. All in all there are about two dozen such organizations under the roof of the Association of Spanish Language Academies, where they all work together.

PS: Why the new ID? You and Locutus10 seem to be one and the same