Which language sounds closer to Spanish phonetically?

[Sikeliot]

Between these two choices only. Romanian and European Portuguese.

Romanian;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMHLiCmZBro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7aa-8sFqVc


European Portuguese;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVJ9QiF909w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3SLrcey-jk&feature=related

[Europa]

From these two,Portuguese of course.Spanish,Italian and Portuguese are based on Latin,therefore It is absolutelly normal to be very close.Kind of like the Slavic languages.

[Amapola]

Greek and Finnish.

[Sikeliot]

From these two,Portuguese of course.Spanish,Italian and Portuguese are based on Latin,therefore It is absolutelly normal to be very close.Kind of like the Slavic languages.

Romanian is also a Romance language.

I can't honestly believe you guys think Portuguese from Portugal SOUNDS closer to Spanish. It sounds nothing like it!

[Raskolnikov]

Greek and Finnish.
They are strangely similar, at least Greek.

[jerney]

Of the two, Portuguese. I agree with Fresa about Greek though. The first time I heard Greek (in a video that Absinthe posted :D) I thought it sounded a lot like Spanish but with more fricatives (the theta and delta sounds) and occasionally a pseudo-Slavic thing going on. As for Finnish, I don't really find it similar to Spanish, but it's definitely more melodic than most Germanic languages

[Midori]

Portuguese. Romanian has Slavic influence which makes it a bit different than the rest of the Romance languages

[jerney]

Romanian is also a Romance language.

I can't honestly believe you guys think Portuguese from Portugal SOUNDS closer to Spanish. It sounds nothing like it!

Romanian sounds like a Slavic language with Latin influence. Portuguese sounds like a Romance language with some pseudo-Slavic sounds occasionally (kind of like Greek, but I think Greek sounds more similar to Spanish than Portuguese does)

[Sikeliot]

If I had said which sounds closer to Italian, would you guys have still picked Portuguese? Or is it only because I said Spanish and people assume everything about Spanish and Portuguese to be identical?

[Raskolnikov]

If I had said which sounds closer to Italian, would you guys have still picked Portuguese? Or is it only because I said Spanish and people assume everything about Spanish and Portuguese to be identical?
I picked Portuguese because it reminds me of the core Castilian accent and vice-versa. It's complicated anyway, because of regional differences, with Italian regions also.

[Midori]

If I had said which sounds closer to Italian, would you guys have still picked Portuguese? Or is it only because I said Spanish and people assume everything about Spanish and Portuguese to be identical?

In that case I would've picked Romanian because it sounds similar to Italian. But you're right, maybe we just picked Portuguese because we see the Iberian countries as similar...

[Sikeliot]

I picked Portuguese because it reminds me of the core Castilian accent and vice-versa. It's complicated anyway, because of regional differences, with Italian regions also.

I'm not arguing that Romanian is overall closer to Spanish (I mean, type any sentence in Spanish and then Portuguese and it's basically the same minus a few spelling differences and patterns for word endings) but sound wise, I do not even think the two sound related.

[Odoacer]

Portuguese sounds closer, IMO.

[jerney]

I would still say Portuguese. Romanian sounds more similar to any Slavic language than it does a Romance language (imo)

[Queen B]

Of the two, Portuguese. I agree with Fresa about Greek though. The first time I heard Greek (in a video that Absinthe posted :D) I thought it sounded a lot like Spanish but with more fricatives (the theta and delta sounds) and occasionally a pseudo-Slavic thing going on. As for Finnish, I don't really find it similar to Spanish, but it's definitely more melodic than most Germanic languages

I agree on that.

[Sikeliot]

I would still say Portuguese. Romanian sounds more similar to any Slavic language than it does a Romance language (imo)

I'm just speaking from experience, but people who didn't know my mother's ethnicity have heard her speaking Portuguese and thought she was Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian based on how they perceived the language to sound.

[jerney]

I'm just speaking from experience, but people who didn't know my mother's ethnicity have heard her speaking Portuguese and thought she was Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian based on how they perceived the language to sound.

Well, to be fair, most Americans aren't very knowledgeable about other languages in general, so that could be the reason behind it.

[Sikeliot]

Well, to be fair, most Americans aren't very knowledgeable about other languages in general, so that could be the reason behind it.

That may be. But I kind of agree. When I hear Russian, a lot of the sounds remind me of Portuguese, only I understand none of the words. When I hear Spanish, I understand almost all of the words but the sound of the language is very different.

[Europa]

Romanian is also a Romance language.

I can't honestly believe you guys think Portuguese from Portugal SOUNDS closer to Spanish. It sounds nothing like it!

I was talking about in general.:coffee:Romanian is a bit more distant in my opinion.As an Portuguese speaker you probably know better,but to me Portuguese sounds closer to Spanish then Romanian.And yes,having a border with Spain makes the posibility the Portuguese to be influenced by Spanish and vice versa,very high.It's like for example Serbian and Bulgarian.They sound similar at the same time they are different languages,but have the same root.:coffee:

[Harmonia]

Spanish sounds more like Portuguese. Actually, to my ear Romanian sounds quite distinct from most of other Romance languages.

[Sikeliot]

Do you guys know what Portuguese sounds like, i.e. did you listen to the video I posted? Whether or not you think it sounds Romanian I can't fathom how one could think it sounds Spanish.

[Raskolnikov]

I'm just speaking from experience, but people who didn't know my mother's ethnicity have heard her speaking Portuguese and thought she was Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian based on how they perceived the language to sound. People have also asked me if my mother was speaking a Slavic language and her Spanish doesn't even that which I associate between Portuguese and Castilian. That's ignorance probably but there is not the strongest difference between Romance and Slavic sounds, and as noted other languages.

[Odoacer]

Do you guys know what Portuguese sounds like, i.e. did you listen to the video I posted? Whether or not you think it sounds Romanian I can't fathom how one could think it sounds Spanish.

I listened to them. I then went & found a (European) Spanish news broadcast to confirm my impressions: Of the two, Portuguese sounds closer to Spanish than does Romanian. Just my impression. :thumb001:

[Geronimo]

I think you're right Clementina, most people didn't listen to the videos more than that non-latin speaking people couldn't give you an accurate opinion.

You should have posted a sample of spanish too.

IMO spanish sounds closer to romanian.

[Sikeliot]

I listened to them. I then went & found a (European) Spanish news broadcast to confirm my impressions: Of the two, Portuguese sounds closer to Spanish than does Romanian. Just my impression. :thumb001:

Which one sounds closer to Italian, then? I made a thread about that too.

I am not familiar with European Spanish, btw.

[Odoacer]

Which one sounds closer to Italian, then? I made a thread about that too.

Well, I have heard Romanian that reminded me of Italian (the first Romanian video you linked, for example); but I have never heard any Portuguese that sounded like Italian.


I am not familiar with European Spanish, btw.

I am not terribly familiar with European Spanish, either. But even compared to New World Spanish, I think Portuguese sounds closer than does Romanian. :shrug:

[Sikeliot]

But even compared to New World Spanish, I think Portuguese sounds closer than does Romanian. :shrug:

Except Puerto Rican and Dominican Spanish, which I call "Spanish Ebonics". ;)

[gold_fenix]

Greek and Finnish.

Totally agree, but Greek is imposible to pronounce it , at least for me

[Europa]

Well, I have heard Romanian that reminded me of Italian (the first Romanian video you linked, for example); but I have never heard any Portuguese that sounded like Italian.



I am not terribly familiar with European Spanish, either. But even compared to New World Spanish, I think Portuguese sounds closer than does Romanian. :shrug:

Spanish from Spain sounds differently then Spanish in Latin and Central America.It's more direct,the"z,ci,ce..(pronounced something like "th"in English yet very similar to the Greek's pronounciation of some of their words indeed) are pronounced softer.There is no that much "singing", mimics and jumping as in the New World's version of Castellano,just the language:coffee:

[Waidewut]

To my ears Spanish sounds more like Romanian, than Portuguese, definitely.

[Odoacer]

Spanish from Spain sounds differently then Spanish in Latin and Central America.It's more direct,the"z,ci,ce..(pronounced something like "th"in English yet very similar to the Greek's pronounciation of some their words indeed) are pronounced softer.There is no that much "singing", mimics and jumping as in the New World's version of Castellano,just the language:coffee:

I'm aware of the basic differences (particularly pronunciation of "c" & "z"), I just don't ever hear European Spanish spoken. I frequently hear Mexican Spanish, however, & occasionally Cuban or Puerto Rican Spanish. Even these have differences with each other of course.

[SilverKnight]

Romanian sounds more like Italian.

Portuguese has to be .. sometimes I can understand a whole sentence by a Brazilian/Portuguese person.

[jerney]

Totally agree, but Greek is imposible to pronounce it , at least for me

Really? I would have assumed that Greek would be quite easy for a Spanish speaker

[Sikeliot]

Romanian sounds more like Italian.

Portuguese has to be .. sometimes I can understand a whole sentence by a Brazilian/Portuguese person.

Portuguese people can understand Spanish better than vice versa usually.

[Comte Arnau]

Spanish varieties from Latin America or even those from the South of Spain sound phonetically closer to Portuguese than Castilian/Northern Spanish does.

[SilverKnight]

Portuguese people can understand Spanish better than vice versa usually.

Heard something like that before ^

I think it's probably because some or most elements of Portuguese came/derived from Spanish.

[Aivap]

It's obvious that it sounds more like Portuguese.

[Comte Arnau]

Heard something like that before ^

I think it's probably because some or most elements of Portuguese came/derived from Spanish.

No. If anything, both languages, along with transitional Asturleonese, sprang from the same language or language group, which we could provisionally call Old Asturian or Western Iberian. But each variety would have developed in their own way, one doesn't come from the other.

And yes, it is true that it is easier for a Portuguese to understand Spanish than vice versa. Just like it is easier for a Dutch to understand German than vice versa.

[Riki]

Heard something like that before ^

I think it's probably because some or most elements of Portuguese came/derived from Spanish.

No.

Indo-European
Italic
Romance
Western Romance
Gallo-Iberian
Ibero-Romance
West Iberian
Spanish, Castilian




Indo-European
Italic
Romance
Western Romance
Gallo-Iberian
Ibero-Romance
West-Iberian
Galician-Portuguese
Portuguese

[Odoacer]

Spanish varieties from Latin America or even those from the South of Spain sound phonetically closer to Portuguese than Castilian/Northern Spanish does.

What about Mexican Spanish?

[Comte Arnau]

What about Mexican Spanish?

Maybe not as close as Caribbean Spanish, but still closer than Castilian.

[Damião de Góis]

I found out today i can't say "rojo" without making a huge effort, if that counts for anything. :D

[Loddfafner]

Spanish may share more vocabulary with Portuguese than Romanian, but characteristic phonemes, especially those nasal diphthongs, give Portuguese a much more distinct flavor. All those 'sh' and 'zh' consonants seem more indicative of Russian.

[Europa]

Spanish may share more vocabulary with Portuguese than Romanian, but characteristic phonemes, especially those nasal diphthongs, give Portuguese a much more distinct flavor. All those 'sh' and 'zh' consonants seem more indicative of Russian.

I dared to correct this,sir.With all due respect :All those 'sh' and 'zh' consonants seem more indicative of Slavic. Russian is not the only one language,which has the above mentioned.Thank you and cheers.:coffee:

[Loddfafner]

I dared to correct this,sir.With all due respect :All those 'sh' and 'zh' consonants seem more indicative of Slavic. Russian is not the only one language,which has the above mentioned.Thank you and cheers.:coffee:

Are they equally prominent in all Slavic languages? I haven't noticed them as much when I have heard Czech, Polish, Slovenian, or Serbo-Croatian as I have with Russian.

[Sikeliot]

Ukrainian sounds like that, too.

[mihaitzateo]

Romanian sounds unique.
Native romanians can pronounce without problems italian,english,german.
The romanian sh is identical in pronunciation to that from german or from english sharp .But is not identical to how you pronounce in portugesse sh .
However,as romanian you will have some problems at pronouncing in portugesse.
No ideea about spanish.

[gold_fenix]

Romanian sounds unique.
Native romanians can pronounce without problems italian,english,german.
The romanian sh is identical in pronunciation to that from german or from english sharp .But is not identical to how you pronounce in portugesse sh .
However,as romanian you will have some problems at pronouncing in portugesse.
No ideea about spanish.

They learn quickly the spanish and it is easy to see a romanina speaking perfectly Spanish

[Comte Arnau]

Spanish may share more vocabulary with Portuguese than Romanian, but characteristic phonemes, especially those nasal diphthongs, give Portuguese a much more distinct flavor. All those 'sh' and 'zh' consonants seem more indicative of Russian.

'Sh' and 'zh' exist in most Romance languages, not only in Portuguese. Only in Spanish they don't exist (although they are heard dialectally, in varieties from Andalusia, Argentina...).

What gives Portuguese that Slavic sound is not the existence of those two sounds, but their frequency.

[Raikaswinþs]

Romanian sounds closer.Although the ones who sound the closest are Valencian and Italian. The Catalan variety also sounds pretty similar , but, like italian, has a different entonation and musicality to it.Yet all of them sound more similar to Spanish than Portuguese imho.

Portuguese sounds , to the Spanish speaker, very different, phonetically speaking. Almost impossible for us to separate the words when listening to a conversation. Even rural galician is too incomprehensible , not because its evry different, but because it sounds so different.

As Jordi will fastly come ehre to explain , Portuguese and Galician are closer to Castilian than Catalan (calm down, Jordi, not saying otherwise :D)
But has more similar phonetics, and it is more understandable in day to day conversations. Even better than Italian. Specially the Valencian variety. (yes, yes, Count, we know, valencian is a fake, Hispanized Catalan)

[billErobreren]

both sound pretty far but I say Romanian(I'm also surprised at the fact that I was able to understand Romanian much better than I ever thought plausible) sounds closer. the average person wouldn't know the similarities between Portuguese & Spanish going by their sounds alone.

To me Greeks sounds closest to Spanish phonetically, Italian can too(as I child couldn't see or hear much of a difference between the two)

[Comte Arnau]

As Jordi will fastly come ehre to explain , Portuguese and Galician are closer to Castilian than Catalan (calm down, Jordi, not saying otherwise :D)
But has more similar phonetics, and it is more understandable in day to day conversations. Even better than Italian. Specially the Valencian variety. (yes, yes, Count, we know, valencian is a fake, Hispanized Catalan)

I won't take any more efforts, people who are biased from the start will hear what they want to hear. :coffee:

If now it turns out that all Spaniards understand Catalan out of a sudden, I don't get why you don't allow us to use it at the Congress. :rolleyes:

[Raikaswinþs]

I won't take any more efforts, people who are biased from the start will hear what they want to hear. :coffee:

If now it turns out that all Spaniards understand Catalan out of a sudden, I don't get why you don't allow us to use it at the Congress. :rolleyes:

that's politicians. politicians never want to understand each other. its the basis of democracy:D

[Comte Arnau]

I'll always remember the case of Empar Moliner, a Catalan journalist, who was speaking in Catalan to a friend on the phone at the back seat of a taxi in Madrid. The driver asked her: 'Is it Catalan you're speaking? If so, you can get off the taxi'. Empar, always so fast and ironic, told him: 'No, no, it's Italian! I don't know Catalan!'. 'Oh, no problem then, go on', said the taxi driver. Such things can only happen in Spain...

[Incal]

Romanian is also a Romance language.

I can't honestly believe you guys think Portuguese from Portugal SOUNDS closer to Spanish. It sounds nothing like it!

And Romanian does? lol

[Comte Arnau]

If this doesn't prove that Greek is the language who sounds phonetically closer to Castilian, I don't know what will. :D


wYfgA7KCdos

[2Cool]

Heard something like that before ^

I think it's probably because some or most elements of Portuguese came/derived from Spanish.

No, it's because Portuguese is one of most complex Romance phonetically and contains many sounds that don't exist in Spanish. It also might be that Portuguese people have more contact with Spanish than vice-verse (kind of how Portuguese people understand Brazilian Portuguese pretty well but the opposite isn't always true).

[razrabotka protiv]

I would still say Portuguese. Romanian sounds more similar to any Slavic language than it does a Romance language (imo)

Contrary to westerns popular believes, Romanian does not sound very Slavic. It contains a few slavic words and was written in cylliric in the past but it's otherwise very latin for any east slav.

[Zephyr]

(don't delete)

[Zephyr]

Phonetically, yes, the set of Romanian sounds is 95% the same of European Portuguese, whether Spanish/Castillian is half or less. Even simple linquid consonants like "L" sound different.

/a/ Open central unrounded apă /ˈa.pə/ water
/e/ Mid front unrounded erou /eˈrow/ hero
/i/ Close front unrounded insulă /ˈin.su.lə/ island
/o/ Mid back rounded oraș /oˈraʃ/ city
/u/ Close back rounded uda /uˈda/ to wet
/ə/ Mid central unrounded ăsta /ˈəs.ta/ this
/ɨ/ Close central unrounded înspre /ˈɨn.spre/ toward

/p/ p in speak (1) pas /pas/ step, spate /ˈspa.te/ back, cap /kap/ head
/b/ b in boy ban /ban/ money, zbor /zbor/ I fly, rob /rob/ slave
/t/ t in stop (1)(2) tare /ˈta.re/ hard, stai /staj/ you stay, sat /sat/ village
/d/ d in day (2) dacă /ˈda.kə/ if, vinde /ˈvin.de/ he sells, cad /kad/ I fall
/k/ k in sky (1) cal /ˈkal/ horse, ascund /asˈkund/ I hide, sac /sak/ sack
/ɡ/ g in go gol /ɡol/ empty, pungă /ˈpun.ɡə/ bag, drag /draɡ/ dear
/ts/ ts in nuts țară /ˈtsa.rə/ country, ață /ˈa.tsə/ thread, soț /sots/ husband
/tʃ/ ch in chin cer /tʃer/ sky, vacile /ˈva.tʃi.le/ the cows, maci /matʃʲ/ poppies
/dʒ/ j in jingle ger /dʒer/ frost, magic /ˈma.dʒik/ magical, rogi /rodʒʲ/ you ask
/m/ m in man mic /mik/ small, amar /aˈmar/ bitter, pom /pom/ tree
/n/ n in name nor /nor/ cloud, inel /iˈnel/ ring, motan /moˈtan/ tomcat
/f/ f in fine foc /fok/ fire, afară /aˈfa.rə/ out, pantof /panˈtof/ shoe
/v/ v in voice val /val/ wave, covor /koˈvor/ carpet, mov /mov/ mauve
/s/ s in sound sare /ˈsa.re/ salt, case /ˈka.se/ houses, ales /aˈles/ chosen
/z/ z in zone zid /zid/ wall, mazăre /ˈma.zə.re/ pea, orez /oˈrez/ rice
/ʃ/ sh in shy șarpe /ˈʃar.pe/ snake, așa /aˈʃa/ so, oraș /oˈraʃ/ city
/ʒ/ s in measure jar /ʒar/ embers, ajutor /a.ʒuˈtor/ help, vrej /vreʒ/ stalk
/h/ h in hope horn /horn/ chimney, pahar /paˈhar/ glass, duh /duh/ spirit
/l/ l in like lung /lunɡ/ long, alună /aˈlu.nə/ hazelnut, fel /fel/ sort
/r/ Italian r (3) repede /ˈre.pe.de/ quickly, tren /tren/ train, măr /mər/ apple

Romanians/Moldovans who have lived here for 6 months, speak much better portuguese than Spaniards who have lived here for 6 years. It's not a fault or a criticism, it's just a fact.

Furthermore Euro-Portuguese is a stress-timed language like Romanian while Spanish is sylable-timed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isochrony

[Zephyr]

As for the question, none, obviously. They are phonetically equally distant from Spanish. Phonetically.

[Comte Arnau]

Furthermore Euro-Portuguese is a stress-timed language like Romanian while Spanish is sylable-timed.

Spanish is very syllable-timed. Italian too, that's what makes them sound close in sound. English is very stress-timed. I wouldn't have put Portuguese in any of those two groups, but somewhere in the middle. I don't think it is so clearly stress-timed as it says there in Wikipedia. Neither I see French as syllable-timed as they say there.

[Zephyr]

I honestly think it is, mate. Brazilian is not, true. Brazilian is absolutely syllable timed.

Well, Portuguese north of Douro may have some stacatto, specially in words that include high front and backvowels (i and u). For example, the words "ministro", "civilização", "oportunidade" in a flowing discourse.

North of Douro
Mi-nis-tru, ci-bi-li-za-çaum, o-pur-tu-ni-da-d

South of Douro
Mnis-tru, civli-za-çaum, opr-tuni-dad

South of Douro is pure russian :D

[Arthur Scharrenhans]

To be true, they all sound quite distinct to me. If I hear Portuguese OR Romanian spoken, I don't think I'm likely to mistake it for Spanish (on the other hand, it often happens with Greek, which is notoriously quite similar to Castilian Spanish from the phonetic - not phonological, for those who know the difference - point of view).

Anyway, I voted for Portuguese, 'cause the extremely close relationship to Spanish means that many words have identical, or very similar, shapes, and so the actual distribution of sounds (as opposed to abstractly looking at the phonetic system) in speech is similar.

[CommonSense]

Honestly, neither of them are. Catalan sounds much closer phonetically to Spanish than Portuguese even though all three of them belong to the same Iberian Romance group.

[♥ Lily ♥]

Portuguese.

[roza]

I pick Portuguese out of the two choices.