Argentina – Spanish Language and Culture
Population: 40.2 million
Capital: Buenos Aires
Area: 2.8 million km² (1.1 million sq miles)
Currency: peso (ARS)
National Holiday: 9th of July
Calling Code: + 54
Time Zone: UTC -4
GDP: Total – US$ 351.015 billion (2010)
Per Capita – US$ 8,663
The Spanish Language in Argentina
The Spanish spoken in Argentina is characterized by Rioplatense, the dialect found principally in the basin of the Rio de la Plata (Buenos Aires lies in this region). However, there are several other accents found across the country. While some influences from Amerindian languages exist, Spanish in Argentina has mostly been affected by European languages, particularly Italian (especially in the intonation, such as the emphasis on the last syllable of 2nd person conjugations: vos querés). ‘Voseo’ is so common in Argentina that “tú” is hardly used in common speech, and Argentinian Spanish is the only form that uses it officially.
Special words and expressions
- che – an interjection used mostly to refer to ‘friend’, ‘pal’, ‘man’, but also as an exclamation or to emphasize understanding such as ‘right’, ‘yes’… it is also used in Uruguay and parts of Brazil.
- se armo un quilombo – it was a disaster (quilombo originally meant brothel in ‘Lunfardo’ slang but today is used to define disorder, problem…)
- te lo digo posta – I’m telling you seriously / the truth
- vos sabés – you know (example of Argentinian ‘voseo’ as opposed to “tú sabes” in normal ‘tuteo’ or “vosotros sabéis” in Spain)
- boludo – a vulgar word for idiot, stupid, good-for-nothing. It is also used affectionately amongst friends and can be used as an affirmation.
- boliche – a discotheque or bar
- purrete/pibe/guri – different slang to say child, young person, immature…
- bardear – to insult, to make a mess
- zarpado – amazing, extraordinary, big
Articles about Argentina
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Intermediate level
- 100. Edición – ¡Celebramos con los Veinte Mundos!
- La emocionante historia de los abuelos cuenta cuentos.
- El sabor inigualable del Dulce de Leche.
- El Cacerolazo – La protesta de la clase media.
- La caña "perfecta” para la musica.
- Condorito y Mafalda: íconos de la cultura pop.
- Fardos de paja: construcción verde y revolucionaria.
- Acequias en Mendoza: la ancestral herencia huarpe
- Sufis, de barba y turbante
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Advanced level
- Los Mejores consejos para aprender español.
- Y vos ¿”hablás casteshano”?
- El poncho símbolo de tradición gaucha
- La carrera más popular de Sudamérica
Other languages spoken
- Italian – 1,500,000 speakers
- Quechua – between 800,000 and 1,000,000 speakers. spoken in the northwestern part of the country
- German – spoken by over 400,000 people mostly descendants of immigrants
- Welsh – spoken by up to 25,000 people in certain Patagonian regions (the towns of Trelew and Rawson)
- Mapudungun – spoken by up to 100,000 people in the south and along the border with Chile.
- Guaraní and Toba – spoken in the northeast along borders with Paraguay and Brazil
- Semitic languages – there are reports of up to 1,000,000 Arabic speakers living in Argentina as well as many Hebrew speakers
Spanish dialects and variations
- It is important to keep in mind that the Argentine accent is not limited to the one spoken in the Rio de la Plata basin. Although Rioplatense has influenced the Spanish outside of Buenos Aires, accents and intonation differ from city to city and differences are more marked the further away from the capital it is.
- Lunfardo – a slang that developed in the suburb of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. One characteristic is the reversal of syllable order (tango – gotan). Some Tangos and Milongas today are still sung in Lunfardo.
- Portuñol – spoken along the border with Brazil, it is a mix of Portuguese and Spanish that is not systematic and varies depending on the region
Geography and Climate
The north of Argentina is made up of the flats of Gran Chaco and is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters. The central region, the fertile Pampas, have hot summers with thunderstorms and much cooler winters. To the west lie the Andes, where the climate is harsher and much cooler, and the southern regions have warm summers and cold winters. The south has heavy snowfall, especially in mountainous zones.
Destinations in Argentina
Buenos Aires
- Buenos Aires– the “Paris of South America”
- Iguazú Falls and Parque Nacional de Iguazú
- Estancias (Cattle Ranches)
- Punilla Valley (Córdoba Región, Manzana Jesuítica y Estancias de Córdoba)
- Patagonia ( Tierra del Fuego, Parque Nacional los Glaciares, Ice Fields,)
- Península Valdés (wildlife, whale watching)
- Wine regions, vineyards, wine tourism
- Mountains (Skiing and hiking)
- You want to learn Spanish? Then check out the destinations of our partnerschool COINED and get in contact with them!
History & Politics
In 1819 Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay gained their independence from Spain and shortly after became separate countries. In the late 19th and 20th century European immigrants started to arrive, most notably from Spain and Italy, greatly influencing today’s Argentina as a result. In 1946 Juan Perón, whose wife was the world-famous Evita, came to power promising social reforms but also drastically censoring all opposition. A series of military regimes and political unrest in the following years affected international relations and the economy. In 2001 Argentina was hit by a severe economic crisis which in many ways is still being felt today.
¿Sabías qué….? The first gay couple to marry in Latin America were married in Ushuaia, Argentina in 2009. Ushuaia is considered the southernmost city in the world.
Famous People
- Jorge Luis Borges (writer)
- Maradona (soccer/football player and coach)
- Quino (humorist and cartoonist, creator of Mafalda comic)
- Ernesto “Che” Guevara (Marxist revolutionary)
- Eva Peron “Evita” (First lady of Argentina)
- Carlos Gardel (singer, songwriter and actor – “The King of Tango”… there is a dispute as to whether he was born in Argentina or Uruguay but he had Argentine nationality)
- Ernesto Sábato (physicist, writer)
- Mercedes Sosa (singer)
- Bernardo Houssay (first Latin American to be awarded a Nobel Prize in Sciences)
Media
Argentina has more than 50 publishing houses and 150 daily newspapers, hundreds of commercial radio stations and dozens of TV stations, making it one of the editorial centers of Latin America. Argentina also has one of the highest internet access rates on the continent with almost 40% of the population having access to internet.
La Nacion – www.lanacion.com.ar
Clarín – www.clarin.com