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I can speak Spanish as correctly as anyone else in Latin America, but when it comes to listening to it (at 70mph) I fall on my face, dialects or no dialects.
I once talked to a Mexican vendor at the Swap Meet here, and given the large number of Mexican buyers, she told me that there's so many different dialects, even with the Mexicans, she has had problems understanding a number of them!
Totally. I could pass a verbal examination in Spanish proficiency in a classroom pretty easily, but once I get out in the real world it can be difficult to understand regional Spanish.
Before going to Panama and then on to Chile on a excursion, I spent weeks refreshing my Spanish speaking ability--first cab ride in Casco Viejo in Panama City however, I couldn't understand half of what the guy was saying. Some rapid fire, Carribbean-style Spanish can be confusing, and this cab driver was adamant that he wasn't going to slow down his Spanish for some gringo.
And don't get me started on the Chileans! They like to abbreviate words, drop off consonents, and throw in the most random chilenismos(Chilean slang) at the most confusing moments.
On the other hand, I could understand Mexicans in the central highlands and Northern Mexico okay. The best though was Guatemala--because many Mayans speak Spanish as a second language, they often speak a slower and clearer and much simpler Spanish--which is great because it's like we're at the same speaking level. I've heard the same about Bolivia, but I haven't been there yet. For whatever reason, when I've met some Colombian people, I've had an easier time understanding their Spanish as well.
As far as Spainish spoken in Spain--it's seems to be just as much a crapshoot as Latin America when it comes to dialects. I haven't travelled in Spain to really understand the regional varieties, but I can hear the use of "vosotros" or speak with a Castillian lisp. Though I once tried to speak Castillian Spanish to a couple from Barcelona speaking Catalan and they politely responded in English--"You do understand that we actually are speaking a different language?"
I am American, and I was surprised to learn that the most-viewed, most popular French MOVIE (FILM) in all history, is a comedy called "Bienvenue Chez les Chtis" and yet this movie is totally unheard of in America and it has never been translated or dubbed (subtitled) in English.
Why were you surprised by this? Not being a smarta$$, just wondering.
Anybody here ever listened to a native English speaker from South Africa? Just wow.
Living abroad I have met many brands of English, I can generally pick them out now and pretty well guess where they're from. It is amazing how many versions of English there are, but the South Africans (great people!) are all but incomprehensible to me. I need subtitles when listening to them.
I find this so hard to believe. The ones i've encountered have made perfect sense to me Now, some of the scottish accents..
Anybody here ever listened to a native English speaker from South Africa? Just wow.
Living abroad I have met many brands of English, I can generally pick them out now and pretty well guess where they're from. It is amazing how many versions of English there are, but the South Africans (great people!) are all but incomprehensible to me. I need subtitles when listening to them.
Really? I have found all the ones I met very easy to understand. And I am not a native English speaker.
I speak German but I can't understand Ostfriesisch or Schwyzerdütsch (aka Swiss German). In Germany when have a Schwyzerdütsch speaker on TV they often have to subtitle them. I can just about handle Hessisch.
I'm afraid it always cracks me up in the US when I see a British program being subtitled. I know the myriad of accents and colloquialisms are hard for many people but I do get a kick out of that.
I find it hard understanding some of the various Scottish accents, and I am Scottish! My dialect is Dundonian which is notoriously hard to understand, by anybody lol. Dundee has many dialect words unique to the area Buster: chips and peas-a Dundee delicacy. Cribby: a kerb. Fleg: a fright. Shorer: shower. Ken: know. Eh: yes. Ana: aswell/also. Ti: to. Ev: I've. Wir: were.
English: I've went to the butchers before and got a fright at the prices, so I turned around and walked back along the kerb.
Dundonian: Eh went ti the butchers afore ind got a fleg at the prices, so eh turned aroond and wacked back alang the cribby.
Some of the Southern Irish ones are absolutely woeful.
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Just wow.
Now, some of the scottish accents..
