What language is easiest for Spanish Speakers to understand?

>>>That's because many Italians look identical to Spaniards. They are very closely related people. And he looks Mexican to me, because as I have already mentioned, there are millions of Southern Europeans in Mexico, contrary to the Mestizo or Indian sterotype common in the U.S.<<<

True. I've seen literally tons of -Mediterranean- looking Mexicans in the states of: Jalisco, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Guanajuato, Chihuahua, Veracruz, Puebla, San Luis Potosi & D.F. (states I've visitied)

I've also met a person from Guanajuato whom resembles "Placido domingo",


This page really elaborates about "Mexico's demographic"

http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t4080-135.htm

Thanks to Luis...

<The exceptions are: northern itaians and northern Spaniards which look more anglo. The northern Italians are blonde and blue eyed, and the northern Spaniards look more british/gaelic since northern Spain (specially Galicia and Asturias) have strong celtic roots. >>

These are generalizations, though generally true. Northern Italians and Northern Spaniards are ethnically, a Celtic/Mediterranean mix. So, they will generally be taller, more prone to lighter skin tones, with higher frequencies of red hair or though less so, blonde hair, some blue eyes, etc. But for the most part, they still retain a distinct southern European look about them because of the shape of their facial features. There are subtle differences. Some of close ancestors emigrated to Mexico from northern Spain, and they had light brown, or red hair, and hazel eyes. My grandmother for instance has thin lips, light brown hair, and hazel eyes. Auburn hair runs strongly in my family, while blond hair is non existent (very typical of Celtic populations). Nealy all of us still have dark brown eyes though, and light skin. As a sample, consider my mother's siblings. Out of ten kids (typical Catholics), three had Auburn hair, three had brown hair, and four had black hair (with red highlights). I myself have light skin, dark brown eyes, and medium brown hair (with red highlights, and a tad tinge of blondeness from my dad ). A couple of the ones who have red hair also have freckles, as do even some of the black haired ones. But our facial features are still distinctly southern European.

I'm just glad my relatives moved to Mexico. And then to the U.S. Heaven forbid they had to endure the Franco regime in Spain.

And besides, I like Mexican-Spanish a lot more than Spanish from Spain, particularly Castille. The lisp thing just doesn't do it for me.

yes in mexico you will find many mediterranean looking people, who's parents are probably from Italy or Spain.

In Venezuela and Argentina, the majority of the population are children of Spaniards, Italians, Germans, and a variety of other nationalities.

Here is what the CIA factbook says:

Venezuela:
Ethnic groups:
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people

Argentina:
Ethnic Groups:
white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3%

But 90% of mexicans are mestizo or ameriindian.

Yeah, alot of Gallegos migrated to venezuela, Argentina, and some to Mexico during world war II.

I on the other hand prefer Castillian Accent over Latin-american accents, which to me sound muddled, although argentine spanish sounds european. Either way, it's like the American/British accents... some hate them some love them.

And 99.5% or so of Mexican-Americans are Mestizo or Amerindian. Which is why "Hispanic/Latino" is a racial classification based on the Mestizo model in the U.S. Which is why I supposedly don't "look like a Mexican" to most people here.

In the U.S. "Dialect", Antonio Banderas, Paz Vega, and Penelope Cruz (all from Spain,Europe) are not European, or even "White" sometimes, depending on who you ask. They are usually put it in the "Latino/Hispanic" label, which excludes them from being "White/Caucasian". Very silly isn't it?

I love all kind of English accents. But I think my favorite are my own (West Coast, Standard American) and Bostonian and Irish accents.

Out of Latin American accents which I've heard enough to actually have an opinion on, I don't really like Puerto Rican and Cuban accents, when compared to Mexican accents. Although some Mexican accents, from southern regions, sound a little funny too. Northern Mexican accents are what sound "normal" to me, so everything else will have to be compared to that standard, because it is the accent I'm used to. But in Spanish, I still can't tell accents apart as good as I can in English.

of course it is more than silly, it is something that should be looked at...

I live in the US now, and I find it very confusing and ignorant, that when I have to fill out a form, Hispanic is an option...

Hispanic just means that you are from a spanish/portugese speaking country. Hispanics can be black, asian, arab, white, purple, green, etc.

Or a lot of Spanish accents will pronounce 'y' sounds with a slight 'g' sound, and 'v' letters will be pronounced as 'b's, which is very strange for me. I know Puerto Ricans do this a lot, and Cubans, as I know a few of both.

But bless the Puerto Ricans and Cubans for things like Mambo and Salsa! They're quite fun.

living in south florida, I live in a community of colombians, venezuelans, and alot of people from other latin amrican countries. I can instantly tell them apart. Venezuelans talk more caribbean and more "relaxed", and rearely use formality while speaking. Colombians use formality when speaking to anyone, and have a sort of goofy accent. there aren't much mexicans or central americans here though, except for the illegal immigrants. But I don't like some Mexican and central american accents, not all though. In fact, I have sometimes had conversations with illegals from mexco ad central america, and their spanish is very poor, it sounds almost as if spanish was their second language since they make alot of grammatical and pronunciation mistakes.

<<illegals from mexco ad central america, and their spanish is very poor, it sounds almost as if spanish was their second language since they make alot of grammatical and pronunciation mistakes.>>

It just might be their second language. A lot of these illegal immigrants are desperate to leave their current situation in their own countries, where they live in extreme poverty as farm workers who live in shacks and are discriminated against because they are Indian. A lot of people, especially in Maya lands like southeastern Mexico and Central America, only speak Spanish as a second language, if they do. I met a lot of Mayans who don't speak Spanish at all. Some that do sometimes have a sing-tone effect when they speak Spanish, because of their own language.

LAA,

>>>Out of Latin American accents which I've heard enough to actually have an opinion on, I don't really like Puerto Rican and Cuban accents, when compared to Mexican accents. Although some Mexican accents, from southern regions, sound a little funny too. Northern Mexican accents are what sound "normal" to me, so everything else will have to be compared to that standard, because it is the accent I'm used to. But in Spanish, I still can't tell accents apart as good as I can in English. >>>


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This is how the dialects of Mexico are placed:


*core area*
Spanish spoken in the D.F (districto federal) is what sounds funny to me.

*gulf coast*
Veracruz (which closely resembles new-mexican spanish for example; "ehta and lao" to mean "esta and lado").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexican_Spanish

*northwest*
Northern-mexican spanish sounds a bit sluggish and a tiresome pronunciation....Expecially in Sonora, Tijuana, Mexicali, Tamulipas, etc.

*Yucatan & Chiapas* et al.
Southern-mexican spanish (chiapas, yucatan, oaxaca, etc) have an indigenous intonation and words.

*The west*
Central-mexican spanish, primarily spoken in Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Colima, Guanajuato have an pleasant accent and use castilian words. For example; crio, melocoton, tazon, gripe, carce etc & also the sibilant -s- is present.

Mexico's dialects;
Due to the size of the country, it is natural that a variety of Mexican dialects has emerged. Some of them are clearly distinct from the other varieties (the speech of Mexico City, Yucatán, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Jalisco, Veracruz and Chiapas, for example, are easy to tell apart from each other). Differences in usage and vocabulary among the regions are common and, although standard Mexican Spanish is understood by all, sometimes the differences can lead to misunderstandings. Dialects also vary depending on the education, social level and ethnic background of the speaker.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Spanish

The Portuguese language is, without a doubt, one of the softest and more melodic languages in existence. Not surprising, if you consider that a dancing and sensual person such as the Brazilian needs a language that reflects its spirit.

Portuguese people also closely resemble the Spaniards (they are next door neighbours for crying out loud), and they also have the dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin. Of course there are the lighter types too more in the north.

Don't forget Portuguese like Spaniards are from Latin, Celtic, Germanic and Arab descent, this means all the feauters of these people are present in these two countries.
The concentration of one type of look may be greater in certain areas though and don't forget Asian and African features are also part of Portugal.

Oh, by the way, Portuguese is, without a doubt, one of the softest and more melodic languages in existence. Not surprising, if you consider that a dancing and sensual person such as the Brazilian needs a language that reflects its spirit.

Here are some facts and figures about the Portuguese language for those who still insist on downplaying its importance as a major world language:

1.Portuguese is a major world language (5th) most spoken by more than 220 million people in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.

2.Portuguese is the 5th language of the world; the 2nd most spoken Romance language after Spanish; one of the official languages of the EU; and the 2nd most spoken language by just over half the population of South America.

3.Portuguese is the 2nd most geographically far-flung European language after English. More people speak Portuguese worldwide than French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Korean.

4.Portuguese is the working language for the following international organizations:

Community of Portuguese Language Countries (or) Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa
CPLP was formed in 1996 with seven countries: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe. East-Timor joined the community in 2002 after regaining independence from Indonesia.

• ACP – Países Africanos, Caraíbas e Pacífico
• Mercosul – Mercado Comum do Sul
• OEI – Organização dos Estados Ibero-Americanos
• OUA – Organização de Unidade Africana
• SADC – Comunidade para o Desenvolvimento da África Austral
• UE – União Europeia
• UL – União Latina
• UEMOA – União Económica e Monetária da África Ocidental

5.Portuguese is the language of Brazil (180 million population), a country occupying half of the South American territory. Brazil, the 8th world economy, is a leading Mercosul member and the 2nd industrial power of the Americas.

6.Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, the African republics of Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and St. Tome and Principe. These Portuguese-speaking countries are an increasing force in the global economy (i.e., trade between China and Angola, and strong trade ties between Brazil and the United States, Latin America, and other economic powers in the world). In Asia, Portuguese is spoken in East Timor, Macau, and Goa. Portuguese is a growing language in the world, and increasingly being learned as a second language everywhere.

7.For those who don't think Portuguese matters in the USA, Portuguese is widely spoken in the USA, where over 1.3 million people are of Portuguese heritage, perhaps more. In Massachusetts, Portuguese is the third most spoken language after English and Spanish. In Rhode Island, Portuguese is the 2nd most spoken language after English. Portuguese is also widely spoken in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, New York City, Florida, and New Jersey.

8.Portuguese is widely spoken in many vibrant Portuguese-speaking communities around the world in the countries including, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Namibia, Paraguay, Rhodesia, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom, and Venezuela.

9.The Portuguese language is the language of many cultures, each one with its unique History, Literature, Arts and Traditions.

10. Portuguese is very close to Spanish, and has some similarities to French and Italian. Speakers of Spanish can learn Portuguese very easy and quickly. Speakers of other Romance languages can learn it too. The high intelligibilty between Portuguese and Spanish is a real assest for speakers of these two languages. This means that combined, they can communicate with approx. 600 million people around the world.

11.There are many more reasons for learning Portuguese. The most obvious reason is that knowing a new language can open up job opportunities. Knowing Portuguese also means that one can understand, and be understood in all of the Portuguese speaking countries. If you don't speak Spanish, you can still get around fairly easily if you speak Portuguese in the Spanish speaking countries (of course it helps a lot if you speak Portuguese to the Spanish speakers slowly and enunciate clearly). Another important reason for leaning a new language includes cognitive benefits for both the young and the aging.

12.Portuguese speakers can find a variety of career options in education, diplomacy, national security, military, international relations, media, finance, trade, business, tourism, social work, sales, and services.