words containing double "LL"
how do you really pronounce the double "LL"
e.g. the word Llamo-is read as "YAMO"
but i have heard just a liitle while ago, when i watched the video, if i am not mistaken , the word "pollo" is pronounced as"polyo" or polio"
39 Answers
I'm not aware of any rule. We just pronounce the "Y" this way when is before any vowel within a word.
Rey Forte said:
It depends on the country. the "Y" pronunciation is used in Argentina, and as far as I knor in other few Latin American countries.Are there rules regarding the pronunciation of that..?
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Seriously? No linguist has turned up yet?
Anyway, to answer the question from a linguistic point of view: Spanish LL is a so-called palatal lateral approximant. What this means is basically an L made where your tongue is when you're saying the Y in "you".
This also explains why it sounds like Y sometimes, and like LY in other cases.
LL is not the only sound like that in Spanish. Ñ is also made there and isn't just NY either, but a single sound.
Mark W said:
I am not pulling this stuff out of thin air. In the book, "Introducción a la linguística hispánica" by José Ignacio Hualde, Antxon Olarrea and Anna María Escobar, they specifically talk about the aspirated 's' sound in words like esto, pronounced [éhto] in areas of southern Spain. Even so, I already knew that because I've heard it a thousand times.Thank you,Marco
Yes, you are quite right, there is! Not in Madrid, mind you, but there certainly is in Andalusia.
But I concentrated on what Hess (yes, I did misquote you, sorry) was saying, he said "ola" and Hola" sounded differently, they don't!
Elsa said:
I would say neither "polyo" or "polio". I sounds more like poyo.Elsa
Es como lo pronunciamos por aquí también. ¿De dónde eres Elsa'
Hess said:
. All I was meaning was that, for example, in the two words: hola and ola there is a tiny tiny tiny TINY difference. It is so tiny that no one I've ever explained it to has agreed that it exists. That's fine, don't believe me! It is NOT important. I won't be depressed.The difference is this: In the word Hola (hello), I can initiate the word with my throat open, so the O is soft, like when you say in English Oh! (as in a surprised "Ohhhhh, NOW I get it!) In the word Ola (wave (in the ocean)) the word begins with the throat closed as though saying in English "Uh oh, naughty naughty". Same thing with Hostias and Ostiones (is that a word').Now that I think of it some more, the difference es culpa del vocal inical of a word. Look at the word Neri (boy's name) and Eri (a girl's name, or at least another name.) Because the E in Neri is preceded by another letter (N), the throat is already open and the E will be soft, like a baby's bottom. But in the name Eri, the E is the initial sound and begins with the throat closed, making it more explosive. OK, enough nowAgain, my apologies, and unless someone actually begs me to respond, I will now sign off and die. Bye
Hi Hess, thanks for calling me witty! jejej
[i]
I would say neither "polyo" or "polio". I sounds more like poyo.
Elsa
Hess, it has been an interesting discussion and everyone has been civil. No problem mon.
I introduced the aspirated 's' example to try to explain what the tiny tiny 'h' sound is like at the beginning of 'hay'. Obviously the 'h' at the beginning of 'hay' is not an aspirated 's', but I don't know how else to describe it. Anyone who knows what someone from Córdoba sounds like when they say the word mosca [móhka], knows what sound I am talking about. Move that same sound to the beginning of the word 'hay' and you have that tiny tiny 'h' sound.
Crap, I just reread all of the thread and realized I misunderstood what I thought to be others misunderstanding and on and on and on. I'll tell you what. If everyone will send me $25, I'll stay off the blog, forever! Thank you all for the fun. By the way, I am impressed with the all of you and your comments. I love to witness brilliance; Heidita, Lazarus, Marco, everyone.
Whoa! Hold on! I apologise to the world for starting this thing about the H. One of you responded that it was nothing important for beginners. You are soooooo right! It's not important to any speaker (except me, the snob).
BUT!!!!!! I did want to clarify one thing. I was not talking about the aspirant sound some speakers use in place of an S (as in mas o menos = mahomenoh) (some Andaluz, Cuban, Puerto Rico, and other American countries). Again, NOT what I was referring to. All I was meaning was that, for example, in the two words: hola and ola there is a tiny tiny tiny TINY difference. It is so tiny that no one I've ever explained it to has agreed that it exists. That's fine, don't believe me! It is NOT important. I won't be depressed.
The difference is this: In the word Hola (hello), I can initiate the word with my throat open, so the O is soft, like when you say in English Oh! (as in a surprised "Ohhhhh, NOW I get it!) In the word Ola (wave (in the ocean)) the word begins with the throat closed as though saying in English "Uh oh, naughty naughty". Same thing with Hostias and Ostiones (is that a word').
Now that I think of it some more, the difference es culpa del vocal inical of a word. Look at the word Neri (boy's name) and Eri (a girl's name, or at least another name.) Because the E in Neri is preceded by another letter (N), the throat is already open and the E will be soft, like a baby's bottom. But in the name Eri, the E is the initial sound and begins with the throat closed, making it more explosive. OK, enough now
Again, my apologies, and unless someone actually begs me to respond, I will now sign off and die. Bye
I am not pulling this stuff out of thin air. In the book, "Introducción a la linguística hispánica" by José Ignacio Hualde, Antxon Olarrea and Anna María Escobar, they specifically talk about the aspirated 's' sound in words like esto, pronounced [éhto] in areas of southern Spain. Even so, I already knew that because I've heard it a thousand times.
Marco said:
lazarus1907 said:
Mark W said:
The examples I gave were to show that the 'h' in 'hay' kind of sounded like and aspirated 's'. The examples provided by Lazarus were actually much better at showing that there is an 'h' sound in some Spanish dialects.
The problem with phonetics, especially if you are interested in details, is that there is nothing like a "single language" strictly speaking. However, if a whole community understand and recognize a certain accent (standard or not), it is worth learning those traits. Whether they're universal or not goes beyond basic command when it comes to languages.
lazarus, I think that it is good to ask you or Heidita this question because you both are from Spain.Do Spanish people pronounce "s" or "z" like "h" sound, not like English speakers do'Por ejemplo, "esto" = "éhto", not "esto" pronounced like I do.I think it is just like American English and British English. There are some differences and pronunciations.Thank you,Marco
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I did not say that it was especially noticeable in Madrid. I think that was Hess. Am I being misquoted again? 
In Andalusia this is sometimes the case, Marco. the s and z are pronounced differently (not by everybody)from the rest of the country.
But it is very silly to say (your teacher) that Spaniards can¡t pronounce the s.
There is definitely a very very subtle 'h' sound in the Spanish word 'hay' in some dialects in Spain
A ver, lazaras, yo sigo diciendo que eso no es así. en el caso de hondo y harto, en efecto. pero desde luego no es una particularidad de Madrid, sino de Andalucia.
Por el otro lado, ¿en Andalucía se pronuncia hay /ai/ como /jai/?
Mark, you did say this "there is an 'h' sound in some Spanish dialects" was especially noticeable in Madrid, and this is simply not the case..
lazarus1907 said:
Mark W said:
The examples I gave were to show that the 'h' in 'hay' kind of sounded like and aspirated 's'. The examples provided by Lazarus were actually much better at showing that there is an 'h' sound in some Spanish dialects.
The problem with phonetics, especially if you are interested in details, is that there is nothing like a "single language" strictly speaking. However, if a whole community understand and recognize a certain accent (standard or not), it is worth learning those traits. Whether they're universal or not goes beyond basic command when it comes to languages.
lazarus, I think that it is good to ask you or Heidita this question because you both are from Spain.
Do Spanish people pronounce "s" or "z" like "h" sound, not like English speakers do?
Por ejemplo, "esto" = "éhto", not "esto" pronounced like I do.
I think it is just like American English and British English. There are some differences and pronunciations.
Thank you,
Marco
Mark W said:
The examples I gave were to show that the 'h' in 'hay' kind of sounded like and aspirated 's'. The examples provided by Lazarus were actually much better at showing that there is an 'h' sound in some Spanish dialects.
I pronounce the "I" just like hay in Spanish. Lazrus, you don't'
