Spanish pronunciation (thing)

Spanish is a generally phonetic language, where each letter or digraph usually corresponds to one sound. Of course, there are many more rules than this, and English speakers should not go around pronouncing words as if they were speaking English. To speak proper Spanish, you have to follow the system of phonology, which I have attempted to outline here:

Consonants

• B.../b/ or /β/. The voicing on the Spanish 'b' is more fortis than in English, where we barely voice our consonants. In all places except at the beginning of a phrase or after a nasal, 'b' is pronounced as a voiced bilabial fricative, which to untrained ears will sound sort of like a v-ish 'w.'
• C.../s/ (/θ) or /k/.

  Before 'a' 'o' or 'u', 'c' is pronounced /k/. This is not the same sound as in English -- in English we aspirate all voicless stops, but in Spanish and most Standard Average European languages, these sounds are not aspirated, so that a Spanish /k/ may be mistaken for /g/ by an English speaker because the puff of air we associate with /k/, and because the English /g/ isn't very voiced anyway.

  After the front vowels 'i' and 'e', 'c' is pronounced /s/, unless of course you are speaking Castillian dialect and have a ceceo, whereby you would pronounce 'c' in this position as /θ/, like the English 'th' in 'thin'.

• CH.../tš/ This digraph represents the affricate that it does in English, except not aspirated (see 'C'). In many Latin American dialects, this 'ch' is pronounced /š/, like the English 'sh'.
• D.../d/ or /ð/ The rule on 'd' follows the same rule as for 'b.' The fricative version is like the English 'th' in 'then'. Another thing that should be pointed out is that all alveolar sounds (/d/ /t/ /s/ /l/ /r/ /n/) are pronounced more at the dental point of articulation, that is, the back of the teeth.
• F.../f/ Well, 'f' is.../f/, just like in English, unless you happen to be in the Philippines, where it is /p/, but chances are you're not.
• G.../g/, /γ/, or /x/.

  Before 'a' 'o' or 'u', 'g' follows the same rules for becoming a fricative as 'b' and 'd'. /γ/ is the voiced version of /x/, and doesn't really have an equivalent in most European languages.

  /x/ however, does have many equivalents, like the German 'machen' or Scottish 'loch'. In Spanish it is this sound, but usually much weaker. This pronunciation of 'g' occurs before 'i' or 'e'. If a word requires the combination /ge/ or /gi/, then it is spelled 'gu,' as in 'guerra' (/'gerra/), with the 'u' silent. If the sound /gwe/ or /gwi/ occurs, then it is spelled 'gü' so that 'bilingüe' is /bi'lingwe/.

• H...silent. Though usually words that begin with /wV/ have an opening 'h' in spelling, such as 'hueso' (/'weso/)
• J.../x/, which is explained under 'G.'
• K.../k/ This letter is always /k/, which is described under 'C', and is only used in (relatively recent)loanwords
• L...Like the 'l' in English, but see the note on alveolars under 'D'.
• LL.../j/ (λ) (/ž/) For the most part, this digraph represents /j/, like the English 'y' in 'yoke'. In Castillian, it is pronounced with a lleísmo and contrasts with 'y.' This sound, /λ/, sounds like the English 'million'. Lastly, in many dialects, both 'll' and 'y' represent the sound /ž/, like the 's' in 'measure.' Even further along this track, in some dialects, both 'll' and 'y' are pronounced /dž/, like the English 'j'.
• M.../m/ Good ol' 'm' doesn't differ much from English, if at all.,
• N.../n/ /m/ (/ñ/) (/ng/*) This sound is for the most part like the other alveolars, except that before 'b' or 'v', it is pronounced /m/, so that 'invierno' is /im'bjerno/. In some dialects it is pronounced /ñ/ before /i/, and in many Latin American dialects, it is pronounced /ng/* at the end of words like the 'ng' in the English 'sing,' or before the letter 'g'.
• P.../p/, but follows the same rules as /k/ as far as non-aspiration.
• Q.../k/ Only occurs in combination with a silent 'u', and represents the sound /k/ when 'c' cannot (before 'e' or 'i')
• R.../r/, /rr/ This is not the 'r' we all know and love in English, but rather an alveolar tap or flap, sort of like the 't' in 'atom' in most dialects of English. It is pronounced as the trill /rr/ at the beginning of words and after /s/ /n/ or /l/.
• RR.../rr/ (/ž/) This is the trilled version of 'r'. This is an important distinction to know, because there is a big difference between words such as 'perro' (dog) and 'pero' (but). In some dialects, this trill is replaced with /ž/.
• S.../s/ (/h/) This sound follows the rule for alveolars, and in many, many dialects it becomes h or completely disappears everywhere except at the beginning of words and between vowels. This is heard in Spain in Andalucia and in Latin America all over, except in the very old highland cities like Lima and Mexico City. So, for example, 'los Estados Unidos' comes out /loh ehtaðoh uniðoh/.
• T.../t/ Follows the rules for alveolars and the rules for non-aspiration.
• V.../b/, /β/ For all phonological purposes, this is the exact same letter as 'b'
• W.../w/ This is like in English, but only occurs in a few loanwords, like 'el waffle'.
• X.../ks/, /x/, /s/ It is normally /ks/, but before a stop, like /t/ in 'extraño' it is pronounced /s/. 'X' also represents /x/, the velar fricative, in a few words, mainly of Aztec(Nahuatl) origin, such as 'México', 'Texas', etc.
• Y.../j/ /i/ (/&158;/) (/d&158;/) Follows the same pattern as 'll', but without the /λ/. It is a vowel in one word, 'y' (and) where it represents /i/. It also occurs in diphthongs as /j/, or to some people, the non-syllabic /i/. I will use /j/ since the symbol is easier to make.
• Z.../s/, (/θ/) This follows the same rules as 'c' does when it precedes /i/ or /e/. If a person has a ceceo, it will affect his or her 'z's as well as 'c's.

Vowels

• A.../a/ like 'a' in 'father'.
• E.../e/ like the sound in 'bait' 'make' or 'hey'. It doe snot, however have the /j/ offglide that is so commonly does in English
• I.../i/ like 'beet' or 'see', except again without the /j/ offglide
• O.../o/ like 'dope' and 'coat', except without the /w/ offglide English tends to have.
• U.../u/ Like 'food' and 'plume'. Never like 'cute' or 'unity'

Diphthongs

Spanish has many more diphthongs than English does. The word 'mientras' is two syllables long, not three, as is 'piano'.(/mjen-tras/ and /pja-no/, not /mi-en-tras/ or /pi-a-no/). When a diphthong is not to be made, it is indictated in orthography with an acute accent mark ('día' is /di-a/ not /dja/). Here are the diphthongs:

SUPRASEGMENTALS:

Spanish does not put glottal stops between words as does English, or stops at all for that matter. In fact, the way it divides syllables has nothing to do with the words themselves. This is why Spanish seems so incredibly rapid and fluid to an English speaker.

Spanish generally has simple CV syllables, unless it can't begin a syllable with a consonant due to stress or other factors, or it has a consonant cluster that goes from fricative to stop, in which case the cluster is broken up. Also, diphthongs are made whenever possible. Here are some examples:

María no está en la casa /ma-ri-a-no-es-ta-en-la-ka-sa/

Diego y Juan quieren conquistar el mundo. /dje-γoj-wan-kje-ren-kon-kis-ta-rel-mun-do/

Hay una mujer que piensa todo que brilla es oro, y compra una escalera al cielo /aj-u-na-mu-xer-ke-pjen-sa-to-ðo-ke-βri-ja-e-so-roj-kom-pra-u-na-es-ka-le-ra-al-sje-lo/