In the world today, there are about 6,500-6,900 different languages. According to the Linguistic Society of America, some major languages in the world are English, Mandarine Chinese and Spanish.
Just like languages, there are also dialects of the languages. A dialect is a form of a language that is spoken in a distinct area of where that language is used and has some of the same vocabulary, grammar and pronunciations.
Unfortunately, every year languages and dialects are dying and no longer spoken.
Dialects of Spanish in Spain vary across regions and have several dialects according to the region. Notably, the most popular dialects are that of Castilian Spanish and Andalusian Spanish. These dialects are distinct especially in pronunciation of the z and the letter c (pronounced as a /th/ in Castillian , but not in Andalusian). However, several other pronunciations are also different between the two major dialects. Vocabulary differences also play an important role of these dialects.
In Burguillos del Cerro of Extremadura, I encountered a unique pronunciation difference that is soon becoming extinct in Spain; the
ll is still pronounced as the original soft /g/ sound as in the English word
genre. In Burguillos, one can still hear this distinct sound in words "calle" "villa" and 'Llerena". Unfortunately, this pronunciation is becoming one sound in many parts of Spain and is referred to as "yeismo".
"Yeismo" is the merging of the
ll and
y sounds in words and is common in the areas such as Madrid, Barcelona and Seville as well as many others parts of Spain. For example, in "yeismo" the words
calle and
mayor, (the
ll and the
y ) have the same sound.
Thus a more pure form of the Spanish language in the pronunciation of the
ll is still found in Burguillos del Cerro and other rural areas of Extremadura.
While doing research on stories (cuentos) and legends (leyendas) of Extremadura for this project, I noticed a distinct vocabulary or dialect in the stories. I also came across this blog:
http://poesiasenestadopuro.blogspot.com/ but it wasn't until last summer that I knew the two were connected; Nico Pozon the originator of this blog is related to Antonio Requejo. During my holiday stay in Burguillos and while discussing stories and the dialects in them, Antonio showed me a dictionary. The title of this dictionary is
HABLA BURGUILLANA.
To my pleasant surprise, this dictionary was compiled and written by Nico Pozon, the same blog creator of Poesias en el Estado Puro.
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| Cover of HABLA BURGUILLANA Dictionary |
Here are a few of the entries of Mr. Pozon's dictionary.
En el inte: En ese momento; en ese mismo instante. [In the moment/at the same time]
Ilesia: Iglesia [Church]
Jamá; Comer; tomar alimento [To eat]
To: Todo (
En la boa había de to.) [All/everything]
Untavía: Todavía [Still/yet as in
I still have to write.]
Vide: Ver [To see]
As a language teacher, I know that the only way to preserve languages and dialects is to continue teaching them to the younger generations. Even in this century, we have already lost languages that will no longer be spoken. What Mr. Pozon and the town of Burguillos are doing is maintaining and conserving their language in spoken and written form.
And with the language, comes the culture that gives it life and identity, thus also preserving its heritage.
The involvement in the pen pal project has made my students aware that other cultures and countries make an effort to learn more that one language. My hope for them is that they never stop appreciating other dialects as well as languages and inspire them to learn more.
R. Aguilar
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Mr. Nico Pozon's blog has wonderful poetry, photos and information of Burguillos and Spain. For a further compiled list of his dictionary entries, go to the 2013 June entries on his blog,
http://poesiasenestadopuro.blogspot.com/ .
