SpanishLesson 1 of 3 in the course Spanish phonology

Spanish Orthography: Alphabet, Accents, Spelling, and Punctuation

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces the letters and special characters used in Spanish writing. Knowing the alphabet helps with spelling, dictionary order, and recognizing how Spanish differs from English.

Spanish is written with the Latin script and has 27 letters: the ISO Latin alphabet plus ñ, called eñe. The letters k and w are included, but they occur mainly in loanwords such as kilo, karate, and waterpolo, as well as some expressive spellings.

All flashcards

How many letters are in the Spanish alphabet, and what makes it different from the basic Latin alphabet?
It has 27 letters: the Latin alphabet plus the separate letter ñ.
How does ñ differ from n in dictionary order?
Ñ is considered a separate letter and appears after n.
What is a digraph? Give two Spanish examples.
A digraph is a sequence of two letters used together as a spelling unit. Examples include ch and ll; other commonly identified Spanish digraphs are rr, gu, and qu.
How are ch and ll alphabetized today?
They are alphabetized as ordinary sequences of letters, rather than as separate alphabet entries.
What are the official names of b and v?
The official names are be for b and uve for v, though regional ways of distinguishing them also exist.

Quiz questions

  1. Why can pronunciation alone fail to determine whether a Spanish word uses b or v?Answer: Both letters usually represent the same sound.
  2. In the pair si (“if”) and sí (“yes”), what role does the acute accent have?Answer: It distinguishes words with different meanings.
  3. What does the diaeresis indicate in Spanish forms such as güe and güi?Answer: The u is pronounced.
  4. Where does stress normally fall in a Spanish word ending in a vowel, n, or s?Answer: On the penultimate syllable.
  5. What do the opening marks ¿ and ¡ signal in Spanish writing?Answer: A question or exclamation begins.

Based on the Wikipedia article Spanish orthography, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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