Quelle différence entre prononciation européenne et latino-américaine en espagnol

The main differences between European and Latin American Spanish pronunciation lie in the realization of certain consonants, vowel quality, and intonation patterns. One of the most notable distinctions is the pronunciation of the letters “c” (before “e” or “i”) and “z”, which are pronounced as a voiceless dental fricative $$ \theta $$ (similar to “th” in “think”) in most of Spain, while in Latin America they are pronounced as an “s” sound $$ s $$. This feature is known as distinción in Spain and seseo in Latin America. ¹¹

Another key difference involves the pronunciation of “ll” and “y”. In many Latin American varieties, these are pronounced as $$ ʝ $$ (a palatal approximant), whereas in parts of Spain, especially in Andalusia and the Canary Islands, they may merge with $$ ʤ $$ (similar to “j” in “jeep”) or other variants, although the standard Castilian pronunciation remains $$ ʝ $$. Additionally, in some regions of Latin America, particularly in Argentina and Uruguay, “ll” and “y” are pronounced as $$ ʃ $$ (like “sh” in “ship”), a feature known as yeísmo rehilado. ^{12, 11}

Consonant weakening is more common in Latin American Spanish, especially the aspiration or loss of final /s/, which is often pronounced as a soft breathy sound $$ h $$ or dropped entirely in syllable-final position. In contrast, European Spanish tends to preserve the /s/ sound more clearly. Similarly, the pronunciation of /r/ and /rr/ can vary, with some Latin American dialects exhibiting more guttural or velar realizations in certain contexts, while European Spanish maintains a more consistent alveolar trill or tap. ^{13, 12}

Vowel systems are largely similar, but subtle differences in vowel quality and length exist. For instance, some studies suggest that Latin American Spanish may exhibit greater vowel reduction in unstressed syllables, while European Spanish maintains more consistent vowel clarity. Intonation patterns also differ significantly: European Spanish often features a wider pitch range and more marked rising-falling contours, whereas many Latin American varieties, particularly in the Caribbean and Mexico, use a more syllable-timed rhythm and flatter intonation. ^{15, 11}

These phonetic variations reflect broader sociolinguistic and historical developments across the Spanish-speaking world, with Latin American Spanish preserving certain archaic features while innovating in others, and European Spanish undergoing its own regional changes. Despite these differences, mutual intelligibility remains high across varieties. ^{14, 16}

Références

• Mesure de la variation prosodique diatopique en portugais européen

• Northern and southern innovativity: a comparison across European and Latin American countries

• MIRIADI (Mutualisation et Innovation pour un Réseau de l’Intercompréhension A DIstance) : l’équipe italienne et le DORIF dans le projet européen de promotion de la didactique du plurilinguisme

• Simon Bolivar, Kwame Nkrumah et la problématique contemporaine de l’unité continentale des pays latino-américains et africains :

• L’esprit et la race : le mouvement étudiant face à la Révolution mexicaine (1910-1945)

• The degree zero of Spanish American cultural history and the role of native populations in the formation of pre-independence national pasts

• Cuadernos del Congreso por la Libertad de la Cultura : anticomunismo y guerra fría en América Latina

• Le nationalisme cosmopolite : la reference a l’europe dans la construction nationale en colombie, 1845-1900

• Dialogues philosophiques Europe-Amérique latine: vers un universalisme ouvert à la diversité, Enrique Dussel et l’éthique de la libération

• Crisis del discurso importador de modelos extranjeros en Impressions of America by a very Fresh Spaniard (1880), de José Marti

• Variety of pronunciation models in European and American teaching or (self-)learning manuals of pronunciation for non-native speakers of Spanish

• Variation in Spanish /s/: Overview and New Perspectives

• Edge strengthening and phonetic variability in Spanish /l/: an ultrasound study

• Common Ground, Diverse Roots: The Difficulty of Classifying Common Examples in Spanish Varieties

• Bay Area Spanish: regional sound change in contact languages

• En torno al olvido en el estudio de la variación lingüística del español

• Variación y variedad de diminutivos y pronombres. Aspectos de interés para la enseñanza de español a lusohablantes

• Descubriendo América Latina: un proyecto por tareas para introducir el léxico hispanoamericano en el aula de E/LE