Prior to embarking on my semester abroad in Sevilla, Spain I felt a mixture of eagerness, excitement, and nerves. When reflecting about my nerves around study abroad, the majority of them were centered around the linguistic aspect. I had never taken more than one Spanish course at a time at Elon, and the thought of taking four in Sevilla was daunting. Additionally, I was placed with a host family who did not speak a word of English, yet another large change from living with English-speaking roommates at Elon. On top of all of these new linguistic changes that I could foresee, Spain’s dialect of Spanish is also quite different from Central and South America’s. 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first time that I heard my program manager speak during orientation, it sounded as if she had a lisp. I found myself having to pay close attention when she spoke, otherwise, I would not pick up on what she was saying. Throughout my time abroad, I learned that the “Spanish lisp” is especially prominent in Southern Spain. From Spaniard to Spaniard the lisp sounds completely normal, however, to a Spanish speaker who grew up learning spanish from Central and South American teachers, it almost sounds as if the Spaniards are not speaking properly. The “Spanish lisp” affects the letters “s” and “z”, and in Spain these letters sounded more like a soft “th” sound. 

    With time, I was able to better make out these linguistic differences between South and Central American and Spain’s Spanish,however, it took quite a bit of self-investigation. It was not until I asked my host mom what certain words meant that I was able to discern common phrases that she would repeatedly say. For example, in Spain people cut off the beginning or ends of words, something that I was not familiar with prior to starting my semester abroad. When leaving my host family for the day, I would say “adios” and they would respond with “ta luego”. The first couple of times I left the house I was so puzzled by what they were saying. Luckily, in my two week intensive Spanish course our professor taught us all of the Andalusian Spanish quirks so that we were prepared and well equipped to begin our time in Sevilla. When my Spanish intensive professor went over some commonly shortened phrases in Sevilla, much of the slang that my host mom said, such as “ta luego,” made sense. “Ta luego” was short for “hasta luego” (see you later). Other examples included “por fa” instead of “por favor” or “adio” instead of “adios”. Learning this verbal tic helped me better understand certain common phrases that I likely would have had trouble understanding otherwise. After learning about these linguistic differences in Spain’s Spanish, I noticed them everywhere. Shop keepers, professors, waiters, all shortened common Spanish phrases. Naturally, I picked up this linguistic difference as well and found it useful by shortening certain words; it made it more convenient to express myself in fewer syllables and,therefore, less time. 

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     Between my intensive course and my host family I learned a plethora of words that were unique to Spain or, more specifically, the Andalusian region. The most interesting word that stood out to me and was on top of my “linguistic AHA” list was the verb “merendar”. This verb spoke tremendous measures about my host culture. Merendar quite literally means to have an afternoon snack. Given that Spaniards eat lunch around 2-3pm and dinner around 10-11pm, there is a time frame right in the middle, around 6pm, for a snack or “merendar”. Although I had been taught the word “merienda,” meaning “a snack,” many times throughout my Spanish education, never had I learned this word as a verb. My professor explained that it is a very Spanish word that directly reflects an element of Spanish culture. Given the large time gap between lunch and dinner that I mentioned prior, I would frequently use this word with my friends when we got hungry between the two meals.

 

 

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     A conjugation difference that took some getting used to was the prevalent use of “tu” in Spanish culture. Given the laid back atmosphere in southern Spain, everybody uses the informal “tu” rather than the formal “usted”. Adjusting to this conjugation difference was difficult because in middle school and all the way through college, I was taught to only use “tu” with friends, family, and those that you know informally. I was astonished when several professors noted that we could refer to them in the informal “tu” form. Prior to me noticing this cultural difference, I would speak to my host family in the “usted” form until my intensive language professor advised us against this. Addressing people in the “usted” form is solely used when addressing managers, people in a professional setting, or those in higher-up positions. This was a shock to me given that in the latin american spanish that I was taught from middle school through college, I learned that the usted form should be used essentially with all adult figures and strangers. 

     One of the most groundbreaking AHA moments that I had, linguistically, was a translation experience with my host family when my dad visited. Given that he doesn’t speak a word of Spanish, and they do not speak a word of English, I served as the translator between each party. Due to the speed with which I had to go back and forth between English and Spanish, I did not find myself methodically translating each word perfectly in my head. Moving forward, I hope to speak more like I did in this moment. My biggest downfall in my linguistic abilities was spending too much time making sure each word was perfectly translated in my head. Later on in my study abroad experience, I learned that it is more effective to give my thoughts my best shot in Spanish, and that nine times out of ten, my message will be properly interpreted. In my Spanish class currently at Elon, I am doing my best to refrain from reverting back to my pre-study-abroad self who would say the phrase in her head in Spanish prior to speaking.