Thought for today...

[khiemtran]

If "llama" starts with a double "l", is it actually pronounced "lyama" in Spanish?

Comments

[karinfromnosund.livejournal.com]

M says yes.

(... and yes, he knows Spanish)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks! This is something I should have twigged to long ago, but I had the two pieces of information in my head and somehow they never connected. And, so, presumably, whatever indigenous name there was must also have sounded closer to the Spanish pronunciation.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Ah, so that's how the Spanish pronounce "ll"! I always wondered, but never had the opportunity to ask anyone.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

And, while we're at it, how about those Welsh double els?

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

To pronounce the Welsh "ll", place the tip of the tongue just behind the top front teeth and breath out, as though you were trying to say the unvoiced "th". You should get a wet, hissy sound. That's it!

Try it out by saying words like Llangollen (the place where they hold the International Eisteddfod) and practice for a while on easy words like "llan" (church) before tackling trickier ones like "llyfrgell" (library). It was ages before I could just casually say "llyfrgell" without having to sort of take a run at it. :)

[hrj.livejournal.com]

I imagine the specific pronunciation depends on the dialect of Spanish. The pronunciation I've learned here in California tends towards a plain "y" without much noticeable "l" coloring. Hence: "Yama". (On the other hand, despite the obligatory familiarity with Cali-Spanish pronunciation, when Californians are saying llama in an English context, you're more likely to hear it as "lama" than "yama".)

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

Really? I hear "yama" more often than "lama," myself. And I don't hear the l in ll even among Spanish speakers speaking Spanish, really: there's a different sound, sort of like zh, just hinted at.

The Spanish speakers I hear are mostly from Michoacan and Oaxaca, if that makes a difference, with a smattering from other Mexican states, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks! You must have some very interesting conversations!

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yes, I've heard the "ll" pronounced as both a "y" and a sort of "j" sound.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

It depends where you are.

In Argentina, it's "zhyama."

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Unless you're talking to a Welsh speaker, yes.

Spain has gotten _really embarassing_ for me.