The Spanish Alphabet Class notes on Pronunciation. Quiz Friday, Sept. 20 th. ¡BUENA SUERTE!

Note: ch, ll, and rr Although the Real Academia Española in Madrid, Spain, removed the letters ch, ll, and rr as separate entries from the Spanish alphabet in 1994, they have been included in the class presentation for their unique sound qualities when pronounced. It should also be noted that in the Americas many Hispanic countries still recognize rr as a separate letter of the alphabet.

Spanish Pronunciation A father mamá, casa, baño E telephone teléfono, entrada, perro I feet chica, película, libro O ocean foto, coche, amigo U mood fruta, música, mujer A, E, I, O, U el burro sabe más que tú.

Spanish Pronunciation English example(s)Spanish example(s) Ñ = [ny] canyon niño, pequeño LL = [y], [j]yellow jacket, tortilla, pollo J = [h] helpJorge, José H = [silent] hola, hermoso V = [b]babyventana, vivir, C = [k]colacama, cuna C = [s] celerycepillo, cinco G = [g] gategato, gorra, guante, G= [h]hillgigante, Jorge R = like the English d; put tongue on palate just above front teeth ( [soft d] between 2 vowels or at end of a word) RR = when 2 r’s are together like in perro, the rr is trilled; words that start with R are trilled also (to trill the rr, try to say brr, but instead of using your lips, use your tongue. When you exhale, the tongue should be raised and widened so it touches the upper teeth)

SPANISH PRONOUNCIATION c and g The letters c and g are pronounced differently, depending on the vowel that follows. A c followed by a, o, or u would be pronounce like the k in “kite”. A c followed by an i of e is pronounced like the s in “simple.” Similarly, a g followed by a,o,u would be pronounced like the g in “goat.” A g followed by an i or e is pronounced like h in “hill.” c ca co cu ca co cu ce ci ce ci [k] [s] g ga go gu ga go gu ge gi ge gi [g] [h]

Consonants: k and w In Spanish, the letters "k" and "w" are found only in foreign words. The "k" is pronounced like an English "k" without the puff of air. The "w" is pronounced like the "b/v" when it occurs between vowels.

amarillo Ll = [y] or [j] yellow jacket

“H”

“h” The letter “h” in Spanish is silent. The English [h] sound is heard in the Spanish pronunciation of the letter “j” and the letter “g” (when “g” is followed by e or i). j arra g igante h elado

Alphabet practice: