View source for Spanish language in the Americas

{{Short description|none}}
{{Spanish language}}
The different [[Dialect|dialects]] of the [[Spanish language]] spoken in the [[Americas]] are distinct from each other, as well as from those varieties spoken in the [[Iberian Peninsula]] —collectively known as [[Peninsular Spanish]]— and Spanish spoken elsewhere, such as in [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Western Sahara]], or in the [[Philippines]]. There is great diversity among the various Hispanic American [[Vernacular|vernaculars]], as there are no common traits shared by all of them which are not also in existence in one or more of the variants of Iberian Spanish. A general Hispanic American "standard" does, however, vary from the Castilian "standard" register used in television, music and, notably, in the [[dubbing]] industry.<ref name="psu">{{cite journal |url=http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/m/jml34/city.pdf |last=Lipski|first=John M.|title=The role of the city in the formation of Spanish American dialect zones|journal=[[Pennsylvania State University]]|doi=10.14713/arachne.v2i1.21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050130120008/http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/m/jml34/city.pdf|archive-date=January 30, 2005 |date=August 6, 2001 |volume=2 }}</ref> Of the more than [[Hispanosphere|498 million people]] who speak Spanish as their native language, more than 455 million are in [[Latin America]], the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], as of 2022.<ref name="viva22" /> The total amount of native and non-native speakers of [[Spanish language|Spanish]] as of October 2022 well-exceeds 595 million.<ref name="viva22">{{cite report |title=El español: una lengua viva – Informe 2022 |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_lengua_viva/pdf/espanol_lengua_viva_2022.pdf|publisher=[[Instituto Cervantes]] |date=31 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103030132/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_lengua_viva/pdf/espanol_lengua_viva_2022.pdf |archive-date=3 November 2022|url-status=live }}</ref>

There are numerous regional particularities and [[Idiom|idiomatic]] expressions within Spanish. In Latin American Spanish, for instance (such as in [[Mexico]] or [[Puerto Rico]], or areas of the contiguous U.S.), [[loanword]]s directly from English are used with some frequency, with English or non-Spanish spellings left intact. For example, the Hispanic American Spanish word for "computer" is ''computadora'', whereas the word used in Spain is ''ordenador'', and each word sounds "foreign" in the region where it is not used. Some differences are due to Iberian Spanish having a stronger French and Mediterranean influence than [[Hispanic America]], where, for geopolitical and social reasons, the [[American English|United States' English-language]] influence has been predominant throughout the twentieth century. Another common loanword, used often in different Latin American Spanish dialects, is a simple affirmative "[[OK|O.K.]]" or "okay", instead of "sí" or "está bien" ("yes", or "it's good/okay").

== Main features ==
Pronunciation varies from country to country and from region to region, just as English pronunciation varies from one place to another. In general terms, the speech of the Americas shows many common features akin to southern Spanish variants, especially to western Andalusia (Seville, Cádiz) and the [[Canarian Spanish|Canary Islands]]. Coastal language vernaculars throughout Hispanic America show particularly strong similarities to Atlantic-Andalusian speech patterns while inland regions in Mexico and Andean countries are not similar to any particular dialect in Spain.
*Most Spaniards pronounce {{angle bracket|z}} and {{angle bracket|c}} (before {{IPAslink|e}} and {{IPAslink|i}}) as {{IPAblink|θ}} (called ''[[distinción]]''). Conversely, most Hispanic Americans have ''[[seseo]]'', lacking a distinction between this phoneme and {{IPAslink|s}}. However, ''seseo'' is also typical of the speech of many [[Andalusian people|Andalusians]] and all [[Canarian people|Canary islanders]]. Andalusia's and the Canary Islands' predominant position in the conquest and subsequent immigration to Hispanic America from Spain is thought to be the reason for the absence of this distinction in most Latin American Spanish dialects.
*Most of Spain, particularly the regions that have a distinctive {{IPAslink|θ}} phoneme, realize {{IPAslink|s}} with the tip of tongue against the alveolar ridge. Phonetically this is an [[voiceless alveolar retracted sibilant|"apico-alveolar" "grave" sibilant]] {{IPAblink|s̺}}, with a weak "hushing" sound reminiscent of {{lcons|retroflex}} fricatives. To a Hispanic American, Andalusian or Canary Island Spanish speaker, the {{IPAslink|s}} in Spanish dialects from northern Spain might sound close to {{IPAblink|ʃ}} like English {{angbr|sh}} as in ''she''. However, this apico-alveolar realization of {{IPAslink|s}} is not uncommon in some Latin American Spanish dialects which lack {{IPAblink|θ}}; some inland Colombian Spanish (particularly Antioquia) and Andean regions of Peru and Bolivia also have an apico-alveolar {{IPAslink|s}}.
*The second-person familiar plural pronoun ''[[Spanish personal pronouns#Use of vosotros|vosotros]]'' is not generally used in daily speech in Hispanic American dialects of Spanish; the formal ''ustedes'' is used at all levels of familiarity. However, ''vosotros'' and its conjugations are known and seen occasionally in writing or oratory, especially in formal, ritualized contexts.
*Hispanic America virtually lacks the {{Lang|es|[[leísmo]]}} found in a good deal of Spain, with this feature only being found commonly in [[Paraguay]] and the highlands of [[Ecuador]]. 
* As mentioned, Anglicisms are far more common in Hispanic America than in Spain, due to the stronger and more direct US influence. Anglicisms in Chile and Argentina are even very common mostly because of the influence of British settlers there.
* Equally, [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|Indigenous languages]] have left their mark on Latin American Spanish, a fact which is particularly evident in vocabulary to do with flora, fauna and cultural habits. Nevertheless, European Spanish has also absorbed numerous words of Amerindian origin, although for historical reasons, the vast majority of these are taken from Nahuatl and various Caribbean languages.
* [[Arabic language|Arabic]]-derived words with Latinate doublets are common in Latin American Spanish, being influenced by Andalusian Spanish, such as ''alcoba'' ("bedroom") instead of standard ''cuarto'', ''recámara'', and many others and ''alhaja'' ("jewel") instead of standard ''joya''. In this sense Latin American Spanish is closer to the dialects spoken in the south of Spain.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}}
* See [[Spanish dialects and varieties#Vocabulary|List of words having different meanings in Spain and Hispanic America]].
* Most Hispanic American Spanish usually features ''[[yeísmo]]'': there is no distinction between {{angbr|ll}} and {{angbr|y}}. However realization varies greatly from region to region. Chileans pronounce these 2 graphemes as {{IPAblink|ʝ˕|ʝ}}, for example. However, yeísmo is an expanding and now dominant feature of [[European Spanish]], particularly in urban speech (Madrid, Toledo) and especially in [[Andalusia]] and the [[Canary Islands]], though in some rural areas {{IPAblink|ʎ}} has not completely disappeared. Speakers of [[Rioplatense Spanish]] pronounce both {{angbr|ll}} and {{angbr|y}} as {{IPAblink|ʒ}} or {{IPAblink|ʃ}}. The traditional pronunciation of the digraph {{angbr|ll}} as {{IPAblink|ʎ}} is preserved in some dialects along the [[Andes]] range, especially in inland [[Peru]], the Sierra of [[Ecuador]], and the [[Colombia]] highlands (Santander, Boyacá, Nariño), northern Argentina, all [[Bolivia]] and [[Paraguay]]; the Indigenous languages of these regions ([[Quechuan languages|Quechua]], [[Guarani language|Guarani]] and [[Aymara language|Aymara]]) have {{IPAblink|ʎ}} as a distinct phoneme.
*Most speakers of coastal dialects may [[debuccalization|debuccalize]] or [[aspiration (linguistics)|aspirate]] syllable-final {{IPAslink|s}} to {{IPAblink|h}}, or drop it entirely, so that ''está'' {{IPA|/esˈta/}} ("s/he is") sounds like {{IPA|[ehˈta]}} or {{IPA|[eˈta]}}, as in southern Spain ([[Andalusia]], [[Extremadura]], [[Region of Murcia|Murcia]], [[Castile–La Mancha]] (except the northeast), [[Community of Madrid|Madrid]], the [[Canary Islands]], [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]]).
* {{angle bracket|g}} (before {{IPAslink|e}} or {{IPAslink|i}}) and {{angle bracket|j}} are usually [[aspiration (linguistics)|aspirated]] to {{IPAblink|h}} in Caribbean and other coastal language vernaculars, as well as in all of Colombia and southern Mexico, as in much of southern Spain. In other Latin American dialects, the sound is closer to {{IPAblink|x}}, and often firmly strong (rough) in Peruvian Spanish dialect. {{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} Very often, especially in Argentina and Chile, {{IPAblink|x}} becomes fronter {{IPAblink|ç}} when preceding high vowels {{IPA|/e, i/}} (these speakers approach {{IPAblink|x}} to the realization of [[ich-Laut|German {{angbr|ch}} in ''ich'']]); in other phonological environments it is pronounced either {{IPAblink|x}} or {{IPAblink|h}}.
*In many Caribbean varieties, the phonemes {{IPAslink|l}} and {{IPAslink|r}} at the end of a syllable sound alike or can be exchanged: ''caldo'' > ''ca[r]do'', ''cardo'' > ''ca[l]do''; some people assimilate the phonemes /l/, /r/ or /s/ to a following consonant, so the words ''alta'', ''harta'' and ''hasta'' may be pronounced ['atta]; in the situation of {{IPAslink|r}} in word-final position, it becomes silent, giving Caribbean dialects of Spanish a partial [[rhotic and non-rhotic accents|non-rhoticity]]. This happens at a reduced level in Ecuador and Chile{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} as well. It is a feature brought from Extremadura and westernmost Andalusia.
*In many Andean regions, the [[alveolar trill]] of ''rata'' and ''carro'' is realized as an [[Voiced retroflex fricative|retroflex fricative]] {{IPAblink|ʐ}} or {{IPAblink|ɹ}} or even as a voiced apico-alveolar {{IPAblink|z}}. The alveolar approximant realization is particularly associated with an Indigenous substrate and it is quite common in Andean regions, especially in inland Ecuador, Peru, most of Bolivia and in parts of northern Argentina and Paraguay. That phonetic is also heard in Costa Rica, except pronounced as [z].
*In Belize, Puerto Rico, and [[Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina|Colombian islands of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina]], aside from {{IPAblink|ɾ}}, {{IPAblink|r}}, and {{IPAblink|l}}, syllable-final {{IPAslink|r}} can be realized as {{IPAblink|ɹ}}, an influence of [[American English]] to Puerto Rican dialect and [[British English]] to Belizean dialect and Colombian dialect of Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina (in the case of the latter three, it is not exclusive to Colombians whose ancestors traced back to Spanish period before British invasion, under British territorial rule, and recovery of Spanish control, but is also used by [[Raizal]]s, whites of British descent, and descendants of mainland Colombians); ''"verso"''' (verse) becomes {{IPA|[ˈbeɹso]}}, aside from {{IPA|[ˈbeɾso]}}, {{IPA|[ˈberso]}}, or {{IPA|[ˈbelso]}}, "''invierno''" (winter) becomes {{IPA|[imˈbjeɹno]}}, aside from {{IPA|[imˈbjeɾno]}}, {{IPA|[imˈbjerno]}}, or {{IPA|[imˈbjelno]}}, and "''escarlata''" (scarlet) becomes {{IPA|[ehkaɹˈlata]}}, aside from {{IPA|[ehkaɾˈlata]}}, {{IPA|[ehkarˈlata]}}, or [{{IPA|ehkaˈlata}}]. In word-final position, {{IPAslink|r}} will usually be one of the following:
** a trill, a tap, an approximant, {{IPAblink|l}}, or elided when followed by a consonant or a pause, as in ''amo''{{IPA|[r ~ ɾ ~ ɹ ~ l ~ ∅]}} ''paterno'' ('paternal love');
** a tap, an approximant, or {{IPAblink|l}} when followed by a vowel-initial word, as in ''amo''{{IPA|[ɾ ~ ɹ ~ l]}} ''eterno'' ('eternal love').
*In Chile and Costa Rica, consonant cluster [t{{IPA|ɾ}}] can be pronounced [{{IPA|tɹ̝̥}}], {{IPA|[tɻ]}}, or [{{IPA|tʂ}}], making ''cuatro'' 'four' and ''trabajo'' 'work' pronounced as [{{IPA|ˈkwatɹ̝̥o ~ˈkwatɻo ~ ˈkwatʂo]}} and [{{IPA|tɹ̝̥aˈβaxo ~ tɻaˈβaxo ~ tʂaˈβaxo]}} respectively. This is an influence of [[Mapuche language|Mapudungun]] in Chile<ref>{{cite web
|title=Influencias de las lenguas indígenas en el español de Chile |url=http://www.ucm.es/info/especulo/numero17/mapuche.html  |work=Espéculo - Revista de Estudios Literarios |publisher=[[Universidad Complutense de Madrid]] |author=Correa Mujica, Miguel |access-date= 2012-05-18}}</ref> and native languages of Costa Rica.
*The [[voice (phonetics)|voiced]] consonants {{IPAslink|b}}, {{IPAslink|d}}, and {{IPAslink|ɡ}} are pronounced as [[plosive]]s after and sometimes before any consonant in most of [[Colombian Spanish]] dialects (rather than the [[fricative consonant|fricative]] or [[approximant consonant|approximant]] that is characteristic of most other dialects):  ''pardo'' {{IPA|[ˈpaɾ'''d'''o]}}, ''barba'' {{IPA|[ˈbaɾ'''b'''a]}}, ''algo'' {{IPA|[ˈal'''ɡ'''o]}}, ''peligro'' {{IPA|[peˈli'''ɡ'''ɾo]}}, ''desde'' {{IPA|[ˈdez'''d'''e/ˈdeh'''d'''e]}}—rather than the {{IPA|[ˈpaɾ'''ð'''o]}}, {{IPA|[ˈbaɾ'''β'''a]}}, {{IPA|[ˈal'''ɣ'''o]}}, {{IPA|[peˈli'''ɣ'''ɾo]}}, {{IPA|[ˈdez'''ð'''e/ˈdeh'''ð'''e]}} of Spain and the rest of Spanish America. A notable exception is the [[Nariño Department|Department of Nariño]] and most [[Colombian Spanish#Caribbean dialect|''Costeño'' speech (Atlantic coastal dialects)]] which feature the soft, fricative realizations common to all other Hispanic American and European dialects.
*Word-final {{IPA|/n/}} is velar {{IPAblink|ŋ}} in much Latin American Spanish speech; this means a word like ''pan'' (bread) is often articulated {{IPA|['paŋ]}}. To an English-speaker, those speakers that have a velar nasal for word-final {{IPAslink|ŋ}} make ''pan'' sound like ''pang''. Velarization of word-final {{IPA|/n/}} is so widespread in the Americas that it is easier to mention those regions that maintain an alveolar {{IPAblink|n}}: most of Mexico, Colombia (except for coastal dialects) and Argentina (except for some northern regions). Elsewhere, velarization is common, although alveolar word-final {{IPAblink|n}} can appear among some educated speakers, especially in the media or in singing. Velar word-final {{IPAblink|ŋ}} is also frequent in Spain, especially in southern Spanish dialects (Andalusia and the Canary Islands) and in the Northwest: Galicia, Asturias and León.

== Local variations ==
[[File:Spanish Speakers in the Americas.jpg|thumb]]
===North America===
{{main|North American Spanish}}
* [[Mexican Spanish]]
* [[Spanish language in the United States]]
**[[Isleño Spanish]]
**[[Sabine River Spanish]]
**[[New Mexican Spanish]]
**[[Caló (Chicano)|Chicano Spanish]]

====Central America====
{{main|Central American Spanish}}
*[[Belizean Spanish]]
* [[Costa Rican Spanish]]
* [[Guatemalan Spanish]]
* [[Honduran Spanish]]
* [[Nicaraguan Spanish]]
* [[Salvadoran Spanish]]

===The Caribbean===
{{main|Caribbean Spanish}}
* [[Cuban Spanish]]
* [[Dominican Spanish]]
* [[Panamanian Spanish]]<ref>{{Citation
|last = Lipski
|first= John M.
|year= 1994
|title= Latin American Spanish
|place= Essex, U.K.
|publisher= Longman Group Limited
|pages=294, 299}}</ref>
* [[Puerto Rican Spanish]]
* [[Trinidadian Spanish]]

===South America===
{{main|South American Spanish}}
* [[Amazonic Spanish]]
* [[Andean Spanish]]
* [[Bolivian Spanish]]
* [[Chilean Spanish]]
** [[Chilote Spanish]]
* [[Colombian Spanish]]
* [[Ecuadorian Spanish]]
* [[Paraguayan Spanish]]
* [[Peruvian Spanish]]
**[[Peruvian Ribereño Spanish|Peruvian Coast Spanish]]
* [[Rioplatense Spanish]]
** [[Argentine Spanish]]
*** [[Porteño Spanish]]
*** [[Cuyo Spanish]]
*** [[Cordobés Spanish]]
** [[Uruguayan Spanish]]
*** [[Fronterizo Spanish]]
* [[Venezuelan Spanish]]
**[[Maracucho Spanish]]

== See also ==
* [[Philippine Spanish]]
* [[Equatoguinean Spanish]]
* [[Spanish Filipino]]
* [[Latin Union]]
* [[Spanish-language literature]]
* [[Hispanic]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.asale.org/recursos/diccionarios/damer Diccionario de americanismos] by the [[Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española]]
* [http://www.asihablamos.com/ Latin American Dictionary with variants for every country]

{{Spanish variants by continent}}
{{Romance languages}}
{{Latin America topics}}

[[Category:Spanish language in the Americas| ]]