Origins of the ‘Lisp’ of Spain

If you study Spanish long enough, sooner or later youll hear a tale about Spanish King Ferdinand, who supposedly spoke with a lisp, causing Spaniards to imitate him in pronouncing the z and sometimes the c to be  pronounced with the th sound of thin. Oft-repeated Story Merely an Urban Legend In fact, some readers of this site have reported hearing the tale from their Spanish instructors. Its a great story, but its just that: a story. More precisely, its an urban legend, one of those stories that is repeated so often that people come to believe it. Like many other legends, it has enough truth—some Spaniards indeed do speak with something that the uninformed might call a lisp—to be believed, provided one doesnt examine the story too closely. In this case, looking at the story more closely would make one wonder why Spaniards dont also pronounce the letter s with a so-called lisp. Heres the Real Reason for the ‘Lisp’ One of the basic differences in pronunciation between most of Spain and most of Latin America is that the z is pronounced something like the English s in the West but like the unvoiced th of thin in Europe. The same is true of the c when it comes before an e or i. But the reason for difference has nothing to do with a long-ago king; the basic reason is the same as why U.S. residents pronounce many words differently than do their British counterparts. The fact is that all living languages evolve. And when one group of speakers is separated from another group, over time the two groups will part ways and develop their own peculiarities in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Just as English speakers talk differently in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and South Africa, among others, so do Spanish speakers vary among Spain and the Latin American countries. Even within one country, including Spain, youll hear regional variations in pronunciation. And thats all were talking about with the lisp. So what we have is not a lisp or an imitated lisp, just a difference in pronunciation. The pronunciation in Latin America is no more correct, nor less, than that in Spain. There isnt always a specific explanation of why language changes in the way it does. But there is a plausible explanation given for this change, according to a graduate student who wrote to this site after the publication of an earlier version of this article. Heres what he said: As a graduate student of the Spanish language and a Spaniard, being confronted with people who know the origin of the lisp found in most of Spain is one of my pet peeves. I have heard the lisping king story many times, even from cultured people who are native Spanish speakers, though you will not hear it come from a Spaniard. Firstly, the ceceo is not a lisp. A lisp is the mispronunciation of the sibilant s sound. In Castilian Spanish, the sibilant s sound exists and is represented by the letter s. The ceceo comes in to represent the sounds made by the letters z and c followed by i or e. In medieval Castilian there were two sounds that eventually evolved into the ceceo, the à § (the cedilla) as in plaà §a and the z as in dezir. The cedilla made a /ts/ sound and the z a /dz/ sound. This gives more insight into why those similar sounds may have evolved into the ceceo. Pronunciation Terminology In the above student comment, the term ceceo is used to refer to the pronunciation of the z (and of c before  e or i). To be precise, however, the term ceceo refers to how the s is pronounced, namely the same as the z of most of Spain—so that, for example, sinc would be pronounced like roughly think instead of like sink. In most regions, this pronunciation of the s is considered substandard. When used precisely, ceceo doesnt refer to the pronunciation of the z, ci or ce, although that error is often made. Other Regional Variations in Pronunciation Although differences in the pronunciation of the z (and sometimes c) are the most well-known of the geographical differences in Spanish pronunciation, they arent the only ones. Another well-known regional variation involves yeà ­smo, the tendency, common almost everywhere, for the ll and the y to share to share the same sound. Thus, in most areas, pollo (chicken) and poyo (a type of bench) are pronounced alike. But in parts of South America, the sound of the ll can be something like the s in measure, also called a zh sound. And sometimes the sound can be something like the j or sh of English. Other regional variations include the softening or disappearance of the s sound and a merging of the l and r sounds. The cause of all these variations is much as the same as for the regional variations in the z—isolation of some speakers can lead to diverging pronunciations. Key Takeaways Languages such as English and Spanish that cover wide geographical areas tend to develop regional differences in pronunciation.Such a natural change in regional pronunciation—and not a long-ago royal edict as is sometimes believed—is responsible for the z (and c before e or i) being pronounced differently in Latin America than in Spain.Those used to the Latin American pronunciation should not think of the pronunciation of Spain ans being inferior, or vice versa—differences exist, but neither type of Spanish is inherently better.

Childhood Obesity A Public Health Crisis - 1237 Words

Introduction Childhood obesity is a public health crisis in Canada. Research shows that childhood obesity is related to morbidity and mortality in adulthood (Tremblay, 2010). According to one study about 31% of Canadian youth between the ages of 2-17 years are obese and overweight, which put them on a greater risk for developing chronic conditions in their early adulthood years (Vine Elliot, 2014). Children spend most of their time during the day in the schools, hence, it is very important that schools needs to implement interventions related to healthy diet and meals. Furthermore, eating patterns in childhood determines the eating habits in adulthood, so implementation of healthy eating policies in secondary schools is very essential as†¦show more content†¦For example, nutritious standard PPM 150 was implemented in 2011 in Ontario. According to this policy, the food and beverages sold on school premises must meet the specific nutritional requirements (Ontario Ministry of Education, 20 17). The standards is applicable to school cafeterias and vending machines. Furthermore, it limits the bake sales in schools as well, only 10 bake sales per year is allowed (Vine Elliot, 2014). Physical inactivity is another area of concern as it is associated with chronic diseases and obesity. One study shows that about 50% of Canadian youth is not physically active enough and about 90% do not achieve minimum 90 minutes of physical activity per day (Lagarde LeBlanc, 2010). Sedentary life styles, availability of electronic gadgets and lack of motivation are some of the factors that contributes towards physical inactivity among children. Health promotion and Advocacy for Heathy Eating The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion defines, â€Å"Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2014). Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice defines the scope of community nursing and establish criteria for safe, ethical care and acceptable nursing practice (Stanhope Lancaster, 2011). Furthermore, standards also promotes the community health nursing as a specialty and support ongoing development ofShow MoreRelatedChildhood Obesity Is Becoming A Major Public Health Crisis Essay1375 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Childhood obesity is becoming a major public health crisis in both children and adults. The American Heritage dictionary simply defines obesity as a condition of increased body weight that is due to excessive build up of fat in the body. 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To My Dead Homie Free Essays

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence. My life changed in September of 2009 when I met my good friend Nate Thomas. It all began in the Halls of Roman Catholic High School. We will write a custom essay sample on To My Dead Homie or any similar topic only for you Order Now I had dreamt of the day I could finally wear purple and gold with pride and represent Roman. However, my first day of school was very different than expected. In middle school, I was used to being known by fellow students and teachers throughout the hallways, in the cafeteria and on the basketball court, but at Roman I had to start all over. I was in unfamiliar territory and in need of immediate guidance and friendship. On my first day, I was unloading books out of my locker, when a 4 foot 2 fellow freshman arrived at the locker next to me to do the same. We introduced ourselves and realized, regardless of our noticeable height difference, that we shared many things in common. From that moment, Nate became one of my best friends and someone I could count on for anything. Nate was born with pulmonary tricuspid atresia, which basically means he was born with the complete absence of the tricuspid valve. Aside from Nate’s height, no one could tell he had a congenital heart disease. Nate was not only at every Roman basketball game, but could be heard cheering the loudest in the gym. He never once complained about his illness, but rather embraced each day as a gift with a positive spirit. When I faced obstacles or setbacks, Nate was quick to offer guidance not judgement. One of the biggest setbacks for me occurred on the basketball court. As a junior, I was excited to be an upperclassman and help contribute to a talented varsity team. However, to my dismay I was put on the Junior Varsity team. At first, I was discouraged, angry, and an overall miserable person. I thought â€Å"How could they do this to me? I had forever dreamt of being a member of the Varsity team. † My initial reaction of negativity and pity for myself is not something I am proud of as I look back on my experiences. After confiding in Nate about not making Varsity, he asked me â€Å"How much do I enjoy playing basketball and what was I willing to do to prove I deserved to be on the Varsity team? I realized that was his way of telling me to â€Å"get over it and work harder. † Nate made me realize that all obstacles challenge us and help us grow stronger whether it be mentally, physically or both. I ended up playing both Junior Varsity and Varsity my junior year because of my work ethic and drive to compete with the best. I credit this to Nate and his ability to make every situation a positive one. As I embark on my senior year at R oman, I begin to reflect on the person I have become today and continue to grow into. Nate’s guidance, advice and friendship is something I will never forgot nor take for granted. His genuine kindness and happiness is something I hope to emulate throughout the years to come. Some would say Nate lost his fight against this illness on August 13, 2012, but I think through his passing he has left an even greater legacy on us all and now continues watching over us and pushing us to live life with his same positive spirit and drive to be the best we can. As I look back on my 3 years at Roman and think about things I considered setbacks, I am able to see the bigger picture. Yes I was devastated about not initially making the Varsity team, but I now realize it was the bigger picture of not giving up and working hard in a positive way to achieve my goals, which was Nate’s advice. So while yes Nate and I were the same age and met as two Freshman on the first day of school, he was wise beyond his years and someone I call my friend, mentor, brother, but most of all my hero. How to cite To My Dead Homie, Essay examples

Definition of Visitor Attractions free essay sample

Then, the most relevant one Is presented and followed by Justification of the authors choice. The entire essay leads to reasoned conclusion of discussed topic. At the very beginning it has to be clarified that it is hard to find one simple and good definition of visitor attractions. Defining of this term might cause an argument between researchers around the world as management concepts and styles vary in particular areas. The literature of the subject covers as simple definition as Holloway (2006). The author seeks to presents mall purpose of existing violators attractions thou defining differentiation of the subject. However, an advantage of Holloway explanation is fact that it applies all around the world but might be used for management concepts only. Next definition, wrote by Pears (1991) is also short, however presents wider range of attraction. It might be said that this explanation slightly categorize defined subject. The author emphasizes attractions in prime of resources (natural, human made) and outlines who are the stakeholders. We will write a custom essay sample on Definition of Visitor Attractions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is a general definition which might apply all around the world. It might be used for management concept. However, it includes some theoretical information which might also refer to management style. The following explanation provides another point of view. Swarthmore (2002:9) In his work differentiates destinations and attractions. The author presents attraction In the spectrum of size and resources, underling that It based on single product. Swarthmore on his definition excludes differentiation of the subject. He does not consider possible multiplicity of visitor attraction, which takes place in some sites. This is why this definition is not universal and can only apply to these particular hypes of attraction. The researches of this study brings the author to definition assumed by British Onto (Bloodstained 2004:8). TLS wide description Is used In purpose of collecting data for Information and statistics. ONTO characterizes violators attraction in terms of its purpose, products, stakeholders, management and revenues. However, the perspective of this definition is very specific and narrow. It excludes importance of shopping, periodic or non- permanent festivals and events while Olympic Games are seen as visitor attraction by many researchers. Moreover, tots of monuments and historic battlefields in Scotland do not charge an admission fee for sightseeing purposes (Lease, 2003).In Dalton, this definition excludes pre- this description is no longer valid due to out-of-date information. It looks like that this explanation should not be used internationally as well as domestically because it includes lot of disadvantages, does not apply to some features of visitor attraction and does not explain complexity of the topic. Although the definition is apparently inclusive, the author of this text would not consider it as helpful tool for understanding the visitor attraction concept. From all definition researched in this paper the most relevant and accurate is the one wrote by Walsh-Heron and Stevens (1990).Their results covers wider spectrum and describe terminology in terms of visitor attractions features. While defining, researchers focus on stakeholders, benefits and attractiveness for visitors, management, quality and revenue. The authors of this explanation include multiplicity of visitor attraction always showing two sides of the coin. Every feature is appropriately explained whereas presenting specific information about them. It looks eke Walsh-Heron and Stevens definition is universal, can be applied internationally and might be used for wide range of purposes. To summarize, all presented definitions have specific features. It can be said that they depend on the purpose of which definition has been created. Some of them are very general, some goes into more details. However those details not always apply all around the world. This is why it is important to cover complexity of the topic. Consequently, the scope of visitor attraction is very big, therefore it is very useful to consider techniques of categorizing them. This could lead to avoid weaknesses in beefing the term at the same time helps to create definition which would appropriately apply internationally.