Why do people here keep saying Spanish is the most phonetic language, to the extent of giving Shuimo the impression that Spanish is almost the role model for other languages, English in particular, to lear from?
Is Spanish the most phonetic language?
Well, is one of the most phonetic languages. In European Union, nowadays, there are 4 languages offered at school: English, Spanish, German and French.
Spanish is perhaps the most phonetic of them. It has the label of "easy language" and students of France or Germany have a tendency to study Spanish as second foreign language.
For example, Spanish speakers consider disgusting two consonants together (but some exceptions) and a 5 vowel system very clear. If you add a latin alphabet, plural adding -s and no declensions is relatively easy (until you study the verbs).
Spanish is perhaps the most phonetic of them. It has the label of "easy language" and students of France or Germany have a tendency to study Spanish as second foreign language.
For example, Spanish speakers consider disgusting two consonants together (but some exceptions) and a 5 vowel system very clear. If you add a latin alphabet, plural adding -s and no declensions is relatively easy (until you study the verbs).
Are Spanish verbs so hard in reality? I think you only have to memorise them and that's it. What makes English difficult is its unpredictability. You can't learn by heart most of things in English because there are too many exceptions.
In European Union, nowadays, there are 4 languages offered at school: English, Spanish, German and French.
Italian is also offered in many European schools. I am French and I could choose Italian at my lycée
Italian is also offered in many European schools. I am French and I could choose Italian at my lycée
Are Spanish verbs so hard in reality? I think you only have to memorise them and that's
memorise the subjunctive verb ends and that's it! :-)
memorise the subjunctive verb ends and that's it! :-)
Well, it is not really so difficult the subjuntive. If the verbs were easy in Spanish, it would be like Esperanto.
It can rain tomorrow
Puede que llueva mañana (subjuntive, correct)
Puede que llueve mañana (present, incorrect)
Puede que + subjuntive
I know that foreign people use very often Present in Spain and everybody understands all. It is not so important.
It can rain tomorrow
Puede que llueva mañana (subjuntive, correct)
Puede que llueve mañana (present, incorrect)
Puede que + subjuntive
I know that foreign people use very often Present in Spain and everybody understands all. It is not so important.
I was under the impression taht Spanish is pretty phonetic, but that it still falls short of certain other languages (maybe Finnish? Hungarian?).
Examples:
- Silent "h", especially at the start of words. Fortunately, many of these words start with "h" in English, where the "h" might of might not be silent:
hora - hour
horrendo - horrendous
- "g" is hard or soft, depending on the following letter. Again, English sometimes follows the same rule:
gusto - gust (meanings differ)
gente - gents, get (why not use "j" in Spanish
- z/c/s -- "c" sometimes hard, sometimes soft (again, English has same rule:
caro - car
cero - center
Also when soft, z/c/s are the same sound on this side of the pond.
coser, cocer (hard and soft "c" insame word
- "s" often written, and is not pronounced at the end of words, and other
places in some dialects:
- b/v duality
- "x": pronounced differently
Mexico, exito, Quixote
-------------------------------------------
I assume all of this is caused because Spanish has been writtem down for centuries, and the pronunciation has drifted.
Examples:
- Silent "h", especially at the start of words. Fortunately, many of these words start with "h" in English, where the "h" might of might not be silent:
hora - hour
horrendo - horrendous
- "g" is hard or soft, depending on the following letter. Again, English sometimes follows the same rule:
gusto - gust (meanings differ)
gente - gents, get (why not use "j" in Spanish
- z/c/s -- "c" sometimes hard, sometimes soft (again, English has same rule:
caro - car
cero - center
Also when soft, z/c/s are the same sound on this side of the pond.
coser, cocer (hard and soft "c" insame word
- "s" often written, and is not pronounced at the end of words, and other
places in some dialects:
- b/v duality
- "x": pronounced differently
Mexico, exito, Quixote
-------------------------------------------
I assume all of this is caused because Spanish has been writtem down for centuries, and the pronunciation has drifted.
As far as I know Esperanto doesn't have noun gender, pronouns are not declined like in Spanish: yo, me, mi, a me mi. There's just one article LA and the syntax is straightforward unlike the Spanish one. Esperanto adjectives never change. Anyway, Spanish plurals are as easy as those of Esperanto. No other Indo-European language has regular and easy plurals like Spanish
cnablis , con todo respeto te lo digo pero eso son menudencias.
* h is mute always. For this reason many people don't write it. WRONG.
* z/s are different sounds in standard Spanish
c-a sounds /Ku/ such as casa
c-e sounds /Ze/ such as cepillo
c-i sounds /Zi/ such as ciruela
c-o souns /Ko/ such as coballa
c-u sounds /Ku/ such as cuchillo
ALWAYS
* - b/v duality : Agreed. Now vaca and baca sounds the same.
* "g" is hard or soft: Agreed. 'gimnasia' should be written as 'jimnasia'
* "x": pronounced differently : it shouldn't
Mexico sould be pronounced Me/ks/ico as exito sounds e/ks/ito.
The thing is that many words written with 'x' they are written with 'j' nowadays. Ximena-> Jimena.
* h is mute always. For this reason many people don't write it. WRONG.
* z/s are different sounds in standard Spanish
c-a sounds /Ku/ such as casa
c-e sounds /Ze/ such as cepillo
c-i sounds /Zi/ such as ciruela
c-o souns /Ko/ such as coballa
c-u sounds /Ku/ such as cuchillo
ALWAYS
* - b/v duality : Agreed. Now vaca and baca sounds the same.
* "g" is hard or soft: Agreed. 'gimnasia' should be written as 'jimnasia'
* "x": pronounced differently : it shouldn't
Mexico sould be pronounced Me/ks/ico as exito sounds e/ks/ito.
The thing is that many words written with 'x' they are written with 'j' nowadays. Ximena-> Jimena.
* h is mute always. For this reason many people don't write it. WRONG.
True, but a lot of words are mute in English and French too. Spanish has slight details that make it not 100% phonetic, like silent H, but they get somewhat amplified by the fact that a fair amount of Spanish speakers , specially in Americas,have a level of instruction in their own native language that leaves a lot to be desired .
True, but a lot of words are mute in English and French too. Spanish has slight details that make it not 100% phonetic, like silent H, but they get somewhat amplified by the fact that a fair amount of Spanish speakers , specially in Americas,have a level of instruction in their own native language that leaves a lot to be desired .
<<c-a sounds /Ku/ such as casa
c-e sounds /Ze/ such as cepillo
c-i sounds /Zi/ such as ciruela
c-o souns /Ko/ such as coballa
c-u sounds /Ku/ such as cuchillo
ALWAYS>>
If Spanish was trying to be the most phonetic language on the planet, it would have to simplify here. Perhaps "c" could always be hard (doing away with "k" and "qe") and "z" soft (no reason why you couldn't have "zero" in place of "cero" and "ce" in place of "que", for example).
c-e sounds /Ze/ such as cepillo
c-i sounds /Zi/ such as ciruela
c-o souns /Ko/ such as coballa
c-u sounds /Ku/ such as cuchillo
ALWAYS>>
If Spanish was trying to be the most phonetic language on the planet, it would have to simplify here. Perhaps "c" could always be hard (doing away with "k" and "qe") and "z" soft (no reason why you couldn't have "zero" in place of "cero" and "ce" in place of "que", for example).
To simplify that, it should be written:
Kasa
Zepillo
Ziruela
Koballa
Kuchillo
Zero
Ke,keso, etc
and to simplify more Kuchillo-> Kuchiyo. For me ch sound is OK even if they are two letters.
Kasa
Zepillo
Ziruela
Koballa
Kuchillo
Zero
Ke,keso, etc
and to simplify more Kuchillo-> Kuchiyo. For me ch sound is OK even if they are two letters.
soft and silent D's, J's, G's, B's can be weird...
reloj [re'lo]
Madrid [Ma'dri]
perdido [per'δiδo]
reloj [re'lo]
Madrid [Ma'dri]
perdido [per'δiδo]