Hossfeld's Spanish Dialogues, and Idiomatic Phrases Indispensible for a Rapid Acquisition of the Spanish Language

PART II. | SEGUNDA PARTE.

Chapter 21,491 wordsPublic domain

REMARKS ON PRONUNCIATION.

THE SPANISH ALPHABET.

The Spanish Alphabet consists of =28= letters:

The letter _k_ occurs only in words of foreign origin.

The vowels are: _a_, _e_, _i_, _o_, _u_. The letter _y_ is a vowel also at the end of a word, as in _rey_, king, and in the conjunction _y_, and.

ACCENTS AND SIGNS.

The acute accent (´) is the only one now in use in Spanish, and it serves to indicate the syllable on which stress is to be laid. It marks departures from the rule that words of two or more syllables ending in a vowel or _n_ or _s_ are stressed on the last syllable but one, and those ending in a consonant (except _n_ and _s_), on the final syllable. It is used also to distinguish between words of the same spelling but different meanings, and is placed over the preposition _a_, and the conjunctions _e_, _o_ and _u_, when emphasised. The conjunction _o_ must always be accented when used with figures.

Formerly, the grave accent (`) and the circumflex (^) were also in use in Spanish, all three accents being used indiscriminately to indicate the stressed syllable. The circumflex was used also on the vowel following _ch_ and _x_ in old Spanish spelling, to indicate that these letters were to be pronounced like _k_ and _ks_ respectively.

The diæresis (¨) is placed over the _u_ in the syllables _gue_ and _gui_ when the _u_ is to be pronounced, as in the words _agüero_, omen; _argüir_, to argue.

The hyphen (-) is used at the end of a line to connect the syllables of a divided word. It is also used in a few compound words.

The tilde (~) is used over the letter _n_ only, and gives that letter a sound very similar to that of _ni_ in the English word _opinion_.

It was originally a sign of abbreviation, and indicated the omission of an _m_ or _n_.

The interrogation (?) and exclamation (!) marks are used before and after the sentence in Spanish, being inverted (¿ ¡) when preceding.

Other punctuation marks are used as in English.

PRONUNCIATION OF THE VOWELS.

_Note._--Spanish vowels have each one sound only, but this sound is influenced by accent or stress, the emphasised vowel being naturally longer or fuller than the same vowel when not emphasised.

=a= is sounded like _a_ in _far_ or in _fat_: _mar_, sea; _sal_, salt;

=e= like _a_ in _mate_, or _e_ in _met_: _mesa_, table; _venta_, sale;

=i= like _i_ in _marine_ or in _pin_: _mina_, mine; _fin_, end;

=o= like _o_ in _note_ or in _not_: _cono_, cone; _con_, with;

=u= like _u_ in _rule_ or in _full_: _luna_, moon; _mundo_, world.

=y=, as a vowel, has the same sound as _i_: _muy_, very; _ley_, law.

COMPOUND VOWELS.

These consist of combinations formed with the strong vowels _a_, _e_, _o_, each of which, when they meet, is pronounced as forming a separate syllable:

=ae=, =ao=, as in _faena_, task; _nao_, ship.

=ea=, =eo=, as in _correa_, strap; _empleo_, employment.

=oa=, =oe=, as in _loa_, praise; _poema_, poem.

DIPHTHONGS.

These are formed by combining one of the strong vowels, _a_, _e_, _o_, with one of the weak vowels, _i_, _u_, or by a combination of the two weak vowels alone. In the former the stress falls on the strong vowel, and in the latter on the second;

=ai (ay), au=, as in _aire_, air; _causa_, cause;

=ei (ey), eu=, as in _seis_, six; _neutro_, neuter;

=ia, ie, io, iu=, as in _diario_, daily; _viuda_, widow;

=oi (oy), ou=, as in _boina_, cap; _bou_, fishing-boat;

=ua, ue, ui (uy), uo=, as in _agua_, water; _ruido_, noise.

TRIPHTHONGS.

These are a combination of the two weak vowels with one of the strong ones:

=iai, iei=, as in _apreciáis_, ye appreciate; _apreciéis_ (that) ye appreciate;

=uai, uei=, as in _averiguáis_, ye verify; _averigüéis,_ (that) ye verify.

PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS.

The following letters are pronounced generally as in English: _b_, _d_, _f_, _k_, _l_, _m_, _n_, _p_, _r_, _s_, _t_, _v_, _x_ and _y_ (consonant). It should, however, be noted that the _b_ is slightly softer than in English, as is also the _d_ at or towards the end of a word; that the _r_ is always trilled, the _s_ always hissed, and the _t_ pronounced close to the teeth.

=c= before _a_, _o_, _u_, and before a consonant, is pronounced like _k_: _capa_, cape; _crema_, cream: before _e_ and _i_ it has the sound of _th_ in _bath_: _cera_, wax; _cima_, summit.

=ch= is always sounded like _ch_ in _check_: _coche_, carriage; _ocho_, eight.

=g= before _a_, _o_, _u_, and before a consonant, is pronounced like _g_ in _go_: _goma_, gum; _grano_, grain: before _e_ and _i_ it is sounded like _h_ strongly aspirated in the throat: _gente_, people; _gitano_, gipsy. The pronunciation of _gua_ is _gwah_: _guante_, glove; _guardia_, guard; and _gue_ and _gui_ are sounded as in _guess_ and _guild_, respectively: _guerra_, war; _guitarra_, guitar; but _güe_ and _güi_ are pronounced _gweh_ and _gwee_: _vergüenza_, shame; _lingüista_, linguist.

=h= is always silent: _harina_, flour; _anhelo_, eagerness.

=j= has always the same sound as that given to _g_ before _e_ and _i_: _jabón_, soap; _hoja_, leaf.

=ll= has a sound very similar to that of _lli_ in _million_: _llave_, key; _tallo_, stalk.

=ñ= is sounded like _ni_ in _minion_: _cuña_, wedge; _daño_, damage.

=q= is always followed by _u_, the two together being sounded like _k_: _quedo_, quiet; _quinto_, fifth.

=z= has the same sound always as that of _c_ before _e_ and _i_: _zarza_, bramble; _zona_, zone.

ARTICULATION.

In Spanish, every syllable is pronounced, and every stressed or accented syllable is strongly emphasised. Every vowel, also, is given its proper sound, generally, as in the alphabet, a shorter or weaker sound, as when unaccented or unstressed, being the principal variation. The only silent letters in ordinary speech are the consonant _h_, and the vowel _u_ in the combinations _gue_, _gui_, _que_, _qui_; but, colloquially, several other letters are either silent, or nearly so, in certain positions; as, for example, _b_ before _sc_ or _st_; _d_ at or towards the end of a word, especially in the word _usted_ (you); _n_ in _trans_, principally before a consonant; and _p_ before _t_. Spanish articulation is somewhat more emphatic than English, especially towards the end of a sentence.

HOSSFELD'S

SPANISH | DIÁLOGOS DIALOGUES | ESPAÑOLES