Daily Mail article on Americanisms ruining the English language

Tremula- it's "tah-co." It's said the same way in Spain, but it means something different there in general (since they don't exactly eat tacos there. They say them. )

So, all this time I and all the Spanish people I know have been busily mispronouncing manchego, mala, abrazos, tan, hacer, vamos, Madrid, etc?

Perhaps the Spaniards are too polite to correct your pronunciation.

Perhaps the Spaniards are too polite to correct your pronunciation.

Maybe I have not got a very good ear... When I listen to Spanish radio & TV stations,mainly RTVE national networks, not the regional ones, I do hear the 'a' sound like I described... I don't hear mahnchego, pahn, picahsso, frahnco (el dictahdor) etc.

My Spanish teacher was a Castillian Spanish speaker, and the major thing he taught us about the differences between American Spanish and that spoken in most of Spain was the "th" sound for "d" such as the second "d" in madrugada (which happens to be my favourite Spanish word, and perhaps my top 20 favourite words in any language).  It'd be interesting to hear what other differences there are, especially if there is a major vowel difference.  I don't know how much he changed his accent to teach us considering we were much more likely to speak Spanish to a person from Puerto Rico or Mexico than someone from Madrid.  But I didn't take much Spanish as it was elective for me (I had my language requirements covered like 5 times over with other classes/exchange).  Maybe he covered the vowel differences in later years.

I've not heard any British people other than my husband say "taco", and he lived in Texas.  

ETA: I do hope the Mexican food fad means that I won't have my vegetarian chili called "chili con carne" any more.  I remember realising just how much Latin American culture had become a part of the larger anglophone American culture when I moved here.  It goes without saying that most Americans know the difference between chili and chili con carne even if they can't agree on what should or shouldn't go into it.

I think the differences between Castilian and Latin American Spanish (both of which of course have many small variants) are not found in the vowel sounds. Quite simply, Spanish has five vowel sounds: ah, ay, ee, oh, oo. The first is the one in taco.

madrugada (which happens to be my favourite Spanish word, and perhaps my top 20 favourite words in any language).

I just listened to the Amaral song, Esta Madrugada, and I think I hear Eva singing  Madrugada... (I underlined where it's 'ah') she also sings esta mala hora with short 'a's, and also que me ha helado el alma... Maybe when Paco calls me and says "It's Paco" he's accommodating my expectations?

I think you have to realise that, irrespective of what a person might say that's wrong, correcting them is seen as very rude indeed, so rude, in fact, that the correction can be safely ignored!

Except when it's your own name (or that of your children)...which is how this pronounciation part of the conversation originally started. 

Except when it's your own name (or that of your children)...which is how this pronounciation part of the conversation originally started. 

I'd never correct anyone (unless maybe they were not an english speaker at all and wanted assistance) on day to day stuff.  I've got enough American friends who say Tor-tee-la (with an L) without bothering with Brits.  But names are different, I think.  The same name can, and often is, pronounced several different ways.  I know 3 women named Lucia and none of them pronounces it the same.  LOO-sha, Loo-CHEE-uh and LOOT-see-uh.  I think it's really arrogant and obnoxious to not use a person's preferred pronunciation for their own (or their child's) name. 

I think there's also a double standard among Brits.

It's perfectly fine for them to pronounce my name the way they want to.

Once, however, I referred to someone named Graham as "gram" - the American pronunciation, instead of "gray-um" - the British way, because I didn't know better. I'd only seen the name written down, I hadn't heard him pronounce it.

From the criticism I got, you'd have thought I set fire to an orphanage.

I think there's also a double standard among Brits.

It's perfectly fine for them to pronounce my name the way they want to.

You've got it!

Perhaps the Spaniards are too polite to correct your pronunciation.

Internet high five!

At work, we had a volunteer named Sandra (she pronounced it "Sohn-drah" (short o)) and I slipped and pronounced it "San-dra", like sand (in my very Philadelphia accent).  She said, "Oooo!  How posh-sounding!"  I thought that was funny because on the east coast (USA) the posh pronunciation would be "Sohn-drah".  The same thing with vase.  I prounounce it "vaze", but here that sounds posh.  The way my volunteer Sandra pronounces it is "vohzz", which to me sounds posh.

At work, we had a volunteer named Sandra (she pronounced it "Sohn-drah" (short o)) and I slipped and pronounced it "San-dra", like sand (in my very Philadelphia accent).  She said, "Oooo!  How posh-sounding!"  I thought that was funny because on the east coast (USA) the posh pronunciation would be "Sohn-drah".  The same thing with vase.  I prounounce it "vaze", but here that sounds posh.  The way my volunteer Sandra pronounces it is "vohzz", which to me sounds posh.

I agree witcha!

The thing I hate the most about the name thing is that a British person will repeat my name (incorrectly, with "British" pronounciation) and say something like "Oh, you mean...".  No actually I meant it the way I pronounced it (seeings how it's MY name).  It would be one thing if they just pronounced it in the British way (which is what always happens anyway and I don't mind that).  It's the fact that they go out of their way to give me a funny look and condescendingly imply that I am saying my own name wrong.

So, all this time I and all the Spanish people I know have been busily mispronouncing manchego, mala, abrazos, tan, hacer, vamos, Madrid, etc?

I'm not sure how anyone could mis-pronounce those.  

I studied the for 5 years, with Mexican, South American and Spanish instructors, and I never noticed a particular difference in pronunciation of basic vowel sounds.  Certain combinations, perhaps, and there are several regional variations with consonants.  

The thing is, no matter what the differences are from region to region... nobody's wrong.  It's just different.  And, instead of spending a lot of time blaming those bloody colonials for ruining the language, the Association of Spanish Language Academies has made a significant effort, over the past several years, to recognize and reconcile those variations into a comprehensive and inclusive "official" Spanish language.  

So, as amusing as I find observations on the differences between British and American (and other regions') English, maybe it'd be more useful to follow that example?