Las voces hispanas
There is a great deal of variety in the culture and dialects of the Spanish-speaking world. Not only is Spanish the official language of 21 countries worldwide, but it also represents a language of communication among many speakers in the United States as well as other countries.This page explores the rich diversity of "Spanish voices" from around the globe through short audio recordings of native speakers from various countries (and in some cases even from different regions within one country) offering insights about one or two cultural aspects that are specific to their area. The purpose of these audio recordings is to assist second language learners, in particular learners who are studying Spanish in a foreign language context, develop an awareness and appreciation for the diversity of cultures that the Spanish language represents.
The audio can be used in three ways:
Voces hispanas: You can learn how native speakers of different counties talk about their culture: food, traditions, music, personality, education, etc.
Pronunciation: In addition to learning about their culture, you can also learn how Spanish pronunciation varies across the Spanish-speaking world. Some of these exercises can be used to improve your pronunciation and can complement topics you are learning about in a Spanish Phonetics class (Spanish phonetics).
Classroom activities. Some audios below can be used in the classroom to learn about different aspects of culture in the Spanish-world. These pedagogical exercises (class activities) aim at providing the Spanish teacher with various cultural activities that can be taught directly in the classroom on line. Each activity can be incorporated in the syllabus in order to emphasize the learning of culture around the Spanish-speaking world and may be incorporated in Spanish language syllabi for learners of beginning and intermediate proficiency.