“Ninguna variante de una lengua es superior o mejor que la otra.”
(Aparte de las diferencias culturales) Apart from the cultural differences that exist between Spain and Latin America, just like the east is far from the west, España (Spain) will never cease to differ from Latin America linguistically.
Despite being colonized by the Spaniards in the year 1492 and adopting (el español) Spanish as their official language, the Spanish speaking part of Latin America has always had a mind of its own which also affected the way Spanish is spoken or written in the area. Because of this, there is always a huge difference when a person from Spain and Latin America speaks or writes. So, what are these differences to note?
Here are the differences:
-Hay diferencia en pronunciación (A difference in pronunciation) y en el acento
-Las diferencias léxicas (Lexical differences)
Las diferencias en pronunciación:
Ceceo, seseo y la distinción
In Spain and Latin America there is a difference in the pronunciation of the letters “s”, “c” before the letters "e", "i", and "z" before "a, "o", "u".
In Spain especially in Andalucía, ceceo is used; this is when the letters "s", "c" and "z" are pronounced like the English sound /θ/“th”. Meanwhile in the northern and central Spain, la distinción is applied; this is when there is a contrast in the sounds /s/ y /θ/. The letter “s” is pronounced as /s/ while the letters “c” and “z” are pronounced as the sound /θ/.
However in Latin America seseo is used; this is when the letters "s", "c" and "z" are pronounced like the English sound /s/.
For more on ceceo, seseo y la distinción
La doble L “LL”
This is mostly noted in the Argentine and Uruguayan spoken Spanish where the “LL” la doble L is pronounced like the sound /ʆ/ “sh” like “she” in English. Por ejemplo: llanto /ʆanto/, llave /ʆave/.
But in most part of Spain “LL” la doble L is pronounced like the “y”. Por ejemplo: llanto /yanto/, llave /yave/.
La “v”
In Spain the letter “v” is pronounced as “b” like in the English word “boy”. Por ejemplo: voy /boy/, vale /bale/.
However in most of Latin America the letter “v” is pronounced as “v” like the English word “very”. Por ejemplo: voy /voy/, vale /vale/.
Learn more about the alphabets
Las diferencias léxicas:
There are differences in lexical items such as:
Noun, pronoun, verb, etc.
Noun (El sustantivo)
-In Spain, la concha means shell,etc. while in some parts of Latin America, la concha has a very vulgar meaning which refers to a woman's sexual organ.
-Potato is patata in Spain but papa in Latin America.
-Phone is móvil in Spain but celular in Latin America.
-Computer is ordenador in Spain but computador o computadora in Latin America.
-Strawberry is fresa in Spain but frutilla in some parts of Latin America.
-Fridge is frigorífico/nevera in Spain but refrigerador/heladera in Latin America.
-Frying pan goes with the feminine article “la” in Spain “la sartén” but in Latin America, it goes with the masculine article “el” “el sartén”.
-Car is el coche in Spain but in Latin America, car is el carro, el auto in Argentina.
-Panties is bragas in Spain but in Latin America it is known as calzones, in México and Venezuela, it is called pantaletas.
Pronoun (el pronombre)
Vosotros/Vosotras, Ustedes, Voseo
In Spain with the exception of las Islas Canarias, vosotros/vosotras is used to refer to the second person plural, in an informal situation while Ustedes is used to refer the second person plural in a formal situation.
But In Latin America, vosotros/vosotras is never used in neither informal nor formal situation. Instead, Ustedes is used in both formal and informal situations.
El Voseo is never used in Spain but in some parts of Latin America especially in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, voseo is used in place of the second person singular personal pronoun "tú". Por ejemplo: instead of tú tienes, you'll hear vos tenés (you have) or ¿De dónde sos? Instead of ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)
El verbo (Verb)
Some verbs used in Spain don't have the same meaning when used in Latin America likewise, some verbs used in Latin America don't have the same meaning when used in Spain. Por ejemplo:
Hacerse daño (to hurt oneself) in Spain, is lastimarse in Latin America.
Coger, which is (to take) in Spain, has a vulgar meaning which is a sexual act in Latin America, so when you're in a Latin American country, don't say coger when you want to refer to "to take",etc. rather say agarrar/tomar.
Darse prisa is (to hurry up) in Spain but apurarse in Latin America.
Tirar/ echar is (to throw...out,etc) in Spain while in Latin America it is known as botar.
Ponerse de pie (to stand), in Spain but in the Latin America it is translated as pararse.
Devolver is (to return or to give back) in Spain, while in Latin America it is regresar.
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