I need help! Ayúdame!
I am a Spanish major at Morehouse College (same school Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attended) located in Atlanta, Georgia. If you did not know it is an Historically Black College or commonly referred to as an HBCU. The student population 99% African-American or people of African descent. I will be studying aboard soon and I want to broaden my horizons so I am thinking of studying abroad in Buenos Aires or some where in Spain where the demographics are much different. However, my only concern is in Argentina I know they speak Rioplantense Spanish. So my question is will I be able to communicate effectively with people from other Spanish speaking countries if I speak that particular Spanish. Also, I want to go into teaching so given the fact I speak that Spanish will I be less qualified as someone who speaks Spanish from Latin America? Comments, answers, and feedback thanks!!!!
Happy New Year Feliz Año Nuevo
7 Answers
Frankly, I think this talk of the differences between various brands of Spanish is a lot of old nonsense. If you put a sheep farmer from the highlands of Scotland and one from the Australian outback together in a room, their language difficulties would last for about 30 minutes. It would take that time to sort out the slight differences of accent, vocabulary, and slang words. They would share the essential structure of the English language. I have traveled extensively in Spain for many years, and there are many regional differences. So what! You couldn't get a greater contrast than the drawl of the southern United States and the clipped accents of New England. So, in my opinion, the speech and writing of educated Spanish speakers will coincide perfectly regardless of geographical location.
I would not worry about Rioplatense Spanish. They speak fairly slowly and, as others have said, Spanish speakers around the world notice each others' accents and regional words, but understand each other just fine. You don't need to speak Peninsular Spanish to be a Spanish teacher here. All but two of the Spanish teachers I know in the US speak Latin American Spanish. If there are other students at your college who have studied abroad in Argentina and Spain, the best way to figure out which is best for you is to talk to them and ask them about their experiences. I would not worry about the variety of Spanish you pick up, and instead encourage you to make your decision based on what the returned students tell you about their interactions with the locals, how they felt there, and the rigorousness of the program (particularly how much English and time with other English-speakers is going to be involved). If you want to be a Spanish teacher, your Spanish needs to be as close to perfect as it can be. A study abroad experience that involves taking classes with other Americans will be much less helpful than one in which you take classes where your classmates and friends are native Spanish speakers and you have as little contact with other Americans as possible. My advice, which I offer from recent personal experience, is to favor programs that are as long as possible (the more time you spend immersed, the better), and which separate you as much as possible from other English speakers. Particularly, look for home-stay programs (with host families), not ones where you live in dorms with other non-Spanish speakers. This was the most helpful part of my study abroad experience.
It won't be a big deal. Plus, you'd need to spend more than a semester in an country for it to rub off on you to a significant degree. If you go to Argentina, I'd avoid switching your "y" sounds to the "sh" sound so typical of the region, as you might get some funny looks when you came back.
As a Spanish major, I would study in Spain, mainly because of the verb conjugation in the 2nd person plural form (vosotros). All Spaniards use that form, and you will learn to as well by living in Spain. Latin Americans don't use that verb form at all, so you will be limiting yourself. Spanish culture is becoming more diversified, and you will find many Latin Americans living in Spain as well.
Agree with Parin, but I would it pays to be aware of those differences especially with words that can be considered vulgar in one place. I will give an example right out of Argentina. Concha is vulgar word for vagina there. So imagine ithe reaction you would get f you said voy a recoger las conchas en la playa thinking it was just referring to seashells. Otherwise a teacher and foriegners I would stick with the more universial Spanish. Tu is also understood, but to seem more local you might want to learn the voseo.
You don't need help you just need to relax and research to discover which Spanish culture you are most interested in.
I've been in Buenos Aires Argentina for holidays and I can tell you that the only different thing is that in Argentina they speak with the Voseo! Vos, Sos instead Tu and eres among other things.
