No, I am not very good at it, even though I speak Spanish with a high level of fluency. I do NOT mean that I speak it in a way that I wouldn’t like could pass for a native-speaker, nor am I saying that I speak it almost without any English (or American English) accent at all. There are a myriad of sounds and even complete words in the Spanish language that require the rolling of the r with which I still struggle to pronounce correctly, and that’s after approximately 24 years of speaking Spanish. Native Spanish speakers pick up on it immediately when they hear me speak their languag because many words* take on vastly different meanings if and when the r is not rolled as it should be.
*Examples:
pero (but) — perro (dog, canine)
caro (expensive) — carro (car, automobile)
ferrocarrill (railroad track) — ¿Qué diablos es este americano loco tratando de decir, y que le dijo que sabe hablar español? Grrrrrrr.)
What the heck is this crazy American trying to say, and who told him he knows how to speak Spanish? Grrrrrrr.)
~
Cravings, I see. I knew it! You’re pregnant again, aren’t you? I hope you realize this doesn’t mean an automatic increase in alimony amounts. Grrrrrrr.
~
(Europian European)
Element 99 