Manzana? th sounding or z?
Is the z "th" sounding in manzana. It sounds like Paralee says manzana with a z!
3 Answers
In most of Spain it would be pronounced "man-THA-na". In Latin America it would be pronounced "man-SA-na"
This is the difference in two types of pronunciation called seseo and distinción. Distinción is used only in parts of Spain. The Z and soft C are pronounced like a soft theta (TH). In seseo, which is used everywhere else, they are pronounced like an S.
Here's an article on Z and C sounds:
In most Spanish-speaking countries, the letter c has two sounds that are very different from each other. Fortunately, both sounds are nearly identical to the sounds of the "c" of English and follow pretty much the same rules of spelling to determine which sound is used.
Most of the time, the Spanish c has the "k" or "hard c" sound of English, although perhaps a bit softer or less explosive. The sound of the "c" in "scatter" or the "k" in "breaks" is basically the same as the "hard c" of Spanish.
In nearly all of Latin America, the c also has the "s" sound when it comes before an e or an i. This is much like the situation in English, where what is basically the same sound is heard in words such as "faces" and "fanciful."
When c comes before other vowels, such as a or o, it retains the "k" sound.
In most of Spain, the c before an e or an i is pronounced much like the "th" in "thin" or "think." Contrary to common belief, this is not a lisp, but is simply the way the letter is pronounced.
The Spanish z has the same sound as does the c before an e or i. So in most of Latin America it has an "s" sound, and in most of Spain it has the unvoiced "th" sound.
Except in words of foreign origin (such as zigzaguear, to zigzag), the z does not appear before before an e or an i; it is replaced by a c instead. Thus the plural of lápiz (pencil) is lápices, and the plural of faz (face) is faces. Note that the change in spelling does not reflect a change in pronunciation.
