Hello!
I have write a Spanish speech for my exams, which along with my oral presentation counts for around 40-50% of my grade. We are allowed to write on any topic that falls under the themes we have done this year(see below) and, is in one of the 21 Spanish speaking countries. I am completely blank. Where do I start? What topic do I choose?
We each had to chose a country that we had to study in depth (<-- underline) by the end of the year; I chose El Salvador. Even though my "home" is in El Salvador, the speech can relate to any of the other countries. I also love music, food and dancing, but I want a topic that is intriguing, relevant and not too complicated.
A student a few years earlier wrote on "El efecto del tráfico de drogas y la violencia en Honduras"
Any ideas? Please, I want to begin as early as possible. It's due the 24th of Nov.
Topics covered in Unit 1 Spanish
-Module 1: El individuo, la familia y la vida diaria
-Module 2: La sociedad y los asuntos sociales
-Module 3: El medio ambiente
Think of some <em>personal</em> connection you can make--something just a little bit quirky or offbeat that relates to something you know that not everybody would know.
If you pick a topic that is interesting to you it may nor may not be interesting to your audience, but if you pick a topic that is <em>not</em> interesting to you, it is <em>not</em> going to be interesting to your audience.
Why did you choose El Salvador in the first place? Use that, no matter how silly it seems. If it was because you liked the sound of the name, say, then research a bit about the origin of the name.
I'm trying to learn Spanish, and I've been intrigued by the little differences in Spanish language and vocabulary between different Spanish-speaking countries. A language partner mentioned to me that the <em>vos</em> form is used in Argentina, which I knew--but not in Colombia, except in <em>Medellin</em>. So one obvious topic if you happen to have some personal knowledge off it would be Salvadorian Spanish and how it compares and contrasts with other varieties. (Is the <em>vos</em> form used in El Salvador? Is El Salvador one of the countries where they tend to drop the "s" at the end of of words ending in "s?" How about the "ll" sound--is it a country with "yeismo?")
I brlefly had a Salvadorian language partner, who mentioned that her sister belonged to a Banda de la Paz. That might be an interesting topic if you like music.
@Dan Smith
I never looked at it from that perspective. I am also fascinated by the dialectal variations (if I can call it that) that exist within a language , but I never knew it ran so deep. Following your suggestion, I researched some differences and found this.
https://www.quora.com/How-different-is-Spanish-spoken-in-El-Salvador-from-other-Spanish-dialects
"Vocabulary differences and slang: Salvadoreans use slang a lot. In general, all latin american countries have specific words that are not used in other countries. For example: kid in Spanish is "niño", in Mexico "lepe", in El Salvador, they say "cipote"; friend in Spanish is amigo, in El Salvador they say "chero", in Mexico they say "cuate"... So if you combine the voseo and the slang you would "sos mi chero" in El Salvador instead of "eres mi amigo" (you're my friend); Hangover is "goma" in El Salvador, "cruda" in Mexico, "guayabo" en Colombia."
So different, I know goma as an eraser.
Thank you!
