Spanish Alphabet p. 10 (doc. 2) PDF

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Download Spanish Alphabet p. 10 (doc. 2) PDF

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Spanish Alphabet p. 10― doc. 2 The alphabet (alfabeto) was named after the Greek letters alpha and beta “a” and “b” that it begins with. The Phoenicians designed it and invented the alphabetic writing, but it was Cadmus from Phoenicia who took it to Greece and passed it onto the Romans, who transmitted it to the European languages. The traditional Spanish alphabet has 30 letters: the 26 letters in the English alphabet, plus 4 others (ch, ñ, rr, and ll). The letters that are the same are pronounced differently, so take a moment to learn the Spanish alphabet. The following chart shows the capital letters along with name of each letter:

Spanish alphabet (El alfabeto español)

Aa

Bb

Cc

Ch ch

Dd

Ee

Ff

Gg

Hh

Ii

a

be

ce

che

de

e

efe

ge

hache

i

Jj

Kk

Ll

Ll ll

Mm

Nn

Ññ

Oo

Pp

Qq

jota

ka

ele

elle

eme

ene

eñe

o

pe

cu

Rr

Rr rr

Ss

Tt

Uu

Vv

Ww

Xx

Yy

Zz

ere

erre

ese

te

u

ve uve

doble ve doble uve

equis i griega ye

zeta

Ch (che) and Ll (elle) and Rr (erre) are also considered letters of the Spanish alphabet, however in 1994 the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) decreed that these letters would no longer be treated as separate letters in dictionaries. They continue to have distinctive pronunciations (just as do "ch" and "sh" in English). Practice Spanish alphabet online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4T7wiigjeg&t=96s

Spanish vowels Vowels in Spanish are pronounced differently from their English equivalents: Aa /a/ “clock” Ee /e/ “bay” Ii /i/ “me” Oo /o/ ‘toe” Uu /u/ “moo” All Vowel sounds: Murciélago (bat) / Audrey Here are some examples of Spanish vowels: a: nada, cama, encantada, e: leche, café, edad, teléfono, i: bonita, señorita, día, chica, salir, o: yo, hola, color, doctor, profesor, u: uno, azúcar, ayuda, mucho, gusto, saludos, computadora

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Spanish Consonants Consonants that pose problems for English speakers include b and v, ñ, rr, and ll.

1. The letters b and v Be and ve are pronounced exactly the same, so identifiers such as de burro/de vaca or b grande (big b) and v pequeña (little v).are often added to distinguish between them. The vibrating v sound doesn’t exist in Spanish. Instead, v is pronounced in a much softer way. Listen to the following words that start with v and repeat each of them in the space that follows. voy, vamos, ver, vaca, vacaciones When the v sound comes in the middle of a word, it becomes less distinguishable from b. Try these words aloud. avión, novia, cerveza, llaves, invierno, acabar, cabaña

2. The letter ñ The ñ sound is pronounced a little bit like an n with a hum. Think of it as an “ny” sound, like “canyon.” señor, señora, señorita, niño, niña, baño, mañana, moño1

3. The letter rr It is a very important sound in the Spanish language, because some words can completely change their meaning depending on whether or not the r sound is trilled (caro—expensive versus carro—car, pero—but versus perro— dog). To pronounce the double-R sound properly, you need to learn to trill your r’s. Try making a purring sound like a cat. Feel your tongue vibrate. correr, guitarra, aburrido, carro, perro, Now, practice the difference between a rolled and unrolled r with the following words. http://www.rocketlanguages.com/spanish/pronunciation_spanish_consonants.php

4. The letter ll The double-L sound in Spanish is pronounced in a variety of ways across the Spanish-speaking world. In many parts of South America, it is pronounced like a j. In much of Spain, it’s pronounced like a y. In still other regions, it is pronounced just like a regular l. Ella, pantalla, caballo

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Moño: bun, topknot vs. mono: monkey 1. Ella se peina con un moño alto. She piles her hair on top of her head. 2. hacerse (un) moño: to put one's hair up (in a bun)

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