I say tomato, you say...Latin or Peninsular Spanish?

One of the blocks I have seen people put on their road to Spanish, is this strange controversy of whatever Spanish from Spain is preferable to  Spanish from Latin America. I have read reviews in Amazon where a reader will give a poor opinion, not because of the book or video itself was bad (many a times they even admit is an excellent learning resource), but because the Spanish taught was Mexican or Peruvian or Argentinean. Some teachers also promote this idea, advertising that in their classes people will acquire “genuine” Spanish, since the teacher is originally from Spain. With all due respect, this is none-sense and a sad case of language snobbism.

Imagine that everyone who wanted to learn English would only consider “real” English the one spoken in England. Would they refuse to learn in English from American books, go to American language schools, or be tutored by a Canadian, Jamaican or Scottish? And which English exactly would provide the right accent? The one spoken in London? Manchester? Essex? Yorkshire?  For argument’s sake, let’s say that it is the London accent. Which part of London would be talking about exactly? East End? West End?  Docklands?  And does this mean that people from New York cannot communicate with people from Liverpool?  Or that you must take a translator with you when traveling to Trinidad?

It is true that someone from Wales will probably wink twice the first time he or she hears a person from Alabama. It is also true that after a few minutes, communication will occur, with a one or two amusing anecdotes on how different people give diverse meaning to some words when speaking colloquially. But the fact is that they will able to talk to each other and the experience will only enrich their vocabulary and cultural awareness. The same applies to Spanish.

In Spain, people from Madrid frown upon the Seville accent; the way of speaking of those who live in the North of the country differs from those who live in the South. It is just as likely to start a conversation with a pure-bred Spaniard in Barcelona, as with a Colombian, Cuban or Peruvian. Men and women from all Latin America live, work and thrive in Spain, independently of their native accents.  Spanish-speaking nations have strong ties among themselves, which allows their citizens to become familiar with expressions from other countries. Children in Ecuador learn from books published in Madrid. Young people from Venezuela dance to music from Dominican Republic. Aunts in Chile have nephews in Honduras. Grandmothers in Malaga follow Mexican soap-operas. That’s the beauty and power of Spanish. So don’t let a false perception stop you from a good-book, a good-course or a good-teacher. The Spanish language and the Hispanic culture is bigger than regional bigotries and when you learn them both, they will embrace you, accent and all.