Spanish language in South America

Spanish language
A manuscript of the Cantar de mio Cid, 13th century
Overview
  • Pronunciation
    • stress
  • Orthography
  • Names
History
Grammar
Dialects
Dialectology
Interlanguages
Teaching
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The Spanish language in South America varies within the different countries and regions of the continent. The term "South American Spanish" (Spanish: español sudamericano or español suramericano) is sometimes used as a broad name for the dialects of Spanish spoken on the continent, but such a term is only geographical and has little or no linguistic relevance. Spanish is the most widely spoken language of the South American continent, followed closely by Portuguese.

The diverse Spanish dialects of the continent have no unifying feature to set them apart from non-South American varieties. The Spanish of the Andean highlands is historically conservative, having some traits in common with the Spanish of central Mexico, while varieties spoken in Argentina and Venezuela share some phonological innovations with the Spanish spoken on Caribbean islands. In some cases a single South American country—for example Colombia—presents a broad spectrum of conservative and innovative dialects.


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Spanish language in the Americas
  • United States and Canada
  • Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Latin America
    • Hispanic
  • North America
    • Northern
    • Caribbean
    • Central America
  • South America
Sovereign states
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Jamaica
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Suriname
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Anguilla
  • Aruba
  • Bermuda
  • Bonaire
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Curaçao
  • Falkland Islands
  • French Guiana
  • Greenland
  • Guadeloupe
  • Martinique
  • Montserrat
  • Puerto Rico
  • Saba
  • Saint Barthélemy
  • Saint Martin
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Sint Eustatius
  • Sint Maarten
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
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Africa and Asia
Americas
(American)
Caribbean
Central America
North America
South America
Europe
(Peninsular)
Other
Extinct