Responding-
Very true; and if there is a nation accustomed to foreigners, that is the DR.
We Dominicans have been listening to the Spanish dialect since the days Spain came and conquered, for the Spaniard have never left our soil. For ages we went to church where all we could hear was the voice of a Spanish priest. (It is still so in many places in the DR.) When Catholics (most everyone) read from a prayer book, or the bible, they read from something that originated in Spain. Interesting, as a child, I never asked why the priest talked this or that way; I never questioned the meaning of a word or utterance; I understood (like all others) the language being spoken.
Norma
In a general sense Spanish speakers anywhere understand each other. Yes, accents can be a challenge but I rarely come across instances where communication is difficult to point where communication is strained at least not in Latin America. I think extreme accents and rhythm of speech can challenge people or throw them off but in general sense, I think Spanish has a very high across the board communication among speakers- at least in my own experience. In my walks of life, the accents that pose most difficulty for speakers are from Spain (and it depends where in the country for me it's
el acento madrile?o). I can see how it can be a challenge and I think it's because many people from Madrid do not open their mouth enough when they speak and add any kind speed to that and it can be tough and then Caribbean Spanish -Cuba, DR and PR. It presents a challenge for people- native and foreigners alike. However, in a broad sense the ability to communicate is high considering the diversity of the language.
What usually makes Spanish difficult to understand between two speakers with very different accents is exposure. However, over time that communication is vastly facilitated once both speakers continue to speak to each other without even changing their speech patterns and vocabulary. Regarding what the OP asked about the occasional usage of 'vosotros' and the lisp, I find people don't tend to focus on those differences although duly noted.
The whole speech phenomenon and comprehension are interesting concepts to observe. I peg accents right away, at least the most obvious ones whereas I know many Spanish speakers who can't at least indicate the geographical region where a person may be from and I do this in English and French too. A few months ago I was at a restaurant, and had a very brief conversation with the waiter and then I asked him 'are you from Manchester, England?' and he almost dropped the glass. He said 'it's one aspect to recognize that I am from England but even the city, you have a good ear'. He was stunned and I had only heard the accent maybe twice prior to that. Language ability varies from person to person. Age and exposure are two key factors.
BTW - it's 'no clue' (with no 'k' and 'w')
Yes, of course I
know it's '
no clue' but you see we have only ten minutes to edit a post in this forum so when I noticed it, it was too late. Even after proofreading these type of errors get by me at times. Such is life.
Thanks for the explanation regarding the Arabic differences. It's general but enough to understand the linguistic dynamics at play.
Thanks for the reply it's was really helpful I'm certainly glad from what the responses have said; it's one less thing to worry about.
You are welcome.
-MP.
