Languages adopt or drop sounds due to a variety of reasons too academic and complex to fully explain here. Comparing the nature of the sounds of one language with another can also be a hard task as each language is a separate entity by itself. In general terms, a group of people who speak a given language make use of linguistic features according to their particular circumstances.

What remains quite clear is that many centuries ago, Castilian Spanish speakers, little by little started to adopt the sounds /B/ & /b/ as a substitutes to v /v/, and even b /b/ in many cases. (See my post above). This phenomenon is neither bad nor good; it just is.

Spanish is a very varied language. On this regard there are many ways in which popular language usage is structured. The spoken Spanish from Mexico and Puerto Rico for example have lots of linguistic features which are particular to each of them. This phenomenon also happens among all the other Spanish varieties of oral Spanish.

Quite often when people who use different dialectical forms (varieties) of a language come in contact with each other, there can be conflictive situations resulting from their interaction. This may be more evident in the school grounds where children get together. Children can not be blamed for their reactions; they simply don’t know why they do that. On the other hand, in the school environment teachers, especially language teachers must teach their pupils to be tolerant of the particular way or ways in which children and all people use language.

As I say in my article, no Spanish variety is superior to any other; but we need to come to terms with the many different ways people make use of language by showing respect to speakers regardless of the type of Spanish they use.

Felicitaciones por tu blog, encuentro que son muy interesantes tus artículos sobre los diferentes aspectos del idioma. Como también estoy en unas actividades de enseñanza de idiomas, he marcado tu blog para futuras referencias. Asimismo tengo que felicitarte por tu manejo del inglés, el cual, aunque no es mi idioma materno, lo conozco bastante bien (modestia aparte) y me gustaría saber más sobre las técnicas que has empleado con éxito para llegar al dominio casi perfecto de tu segundo idioma.
Por otra parte, quería mencionarte en esta nota que existe un pequeño error en este artículo, cuando dice:

Getting to a situation were a student can make comments …

porque me parece que debería ser WHERE en vez de were. Por favor corrígeme si estoy equivocada.

Saludos,
ODE

What’s with the fuss about this? Others have their blood boiling saying that it would be a slash in the pride of us Filipinos as they considered it as a “colonial language”. Saying that Spain invaded us and raped our people blah blah and the other “inequalities” of the past that they say in an annoying litany. All I could think about is- It’s a shame that they understand things a bit wrong.

The Spaniards were the most lenient of all former imperialists. (As I have just learned and observed from reading various articles and books). The Brits, Portuguese and others are more brutal in any way. One example of this is the social divisions/ Caste system are more pronounced in British and Portuguese colonies than in the Spanish colonies (especially Phils). Intermarriage is a punishable crime in case of the Brits and Portuguese while the Spaniards even encourage it. All of these “closeness” like a family is often credited to us being Christians as one religion makes us closer together. One British observer in the past (1800s) even said that “Only in the Philippines I could see a Native, a Spaniard and a Chinese all in one table chatting with each other”. His surprise at this scene is just making it evident that such case doesn’t exist in the British Malaya, Hong Kong, India or other part of the former British Empire.

It is annoying if after this, someone will say I have colonial mentality. What the hell? Why would they say such a thing. I regarded all races and languages as equals and if I have only the capacity to learn each one of them I will do so. I never regarded the Spanish as higher than Filipinos nor Filipinos higher than the Spanish. The Anti-Spanish sentiment is a useless piece of feeling. Pride will make us all racist in any way. Anyway, why do they stereotype Spanish people as the cliche white-snobby-rich-upnose people? The Spanish aren’t even that white- They are of the Mediterranean race. (Having a nice bit of tan and dark-haired, Oh sunny Spain.)