Spanish through its accents

Listen to these different Spanish accents as people from different countries read the poem Elogio a la Lengua (Praise of Language) by Cristina Peri Rossi.

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Cristina Peri Rossi (2021)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Cristina Peri Rossi

A pioneering poet and feminist writer, she was the only woman linked to the Latin American Boom movement. She was awarded the Miguel de Cervantes prize—the most prestigious Hispanic literary award—in 2021 for her overall contribution to Spanish-speaking literature.

Praise of Language

He sold me a bingo card
and asked me where I was from.
“From Uruguay,” I said.
“You speak the loveliest Spanish in the world,”
he replied as he
brandished the cards
like lucky charms.
This evening, I no longer care
if I win or lose.
I realized that I was attached to a language
like to a mother,
and that the bingo hall
was the maternal womb.

Laura Martínez (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Spain
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Laura

Madrid, Spain

Santiago Camacho (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Mexico
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Santiago

Tamaulipas, Mexico

Cherrilyn Poblete (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Costa Rica
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Brenda

San José, Costa Rica

Rainer Pérez (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Cuba
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Rainer

La Habana, Cuba

Cherrilyn Poblete (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from the Philippines
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Cherrilyn

Manila, Philippines

Santiago Álvarez (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Chile
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Santiago

Puente Alto, Chile

Daniela Bas (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Puerto Rico
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Daniela

Puerto Rico | United States

Edwin Santamaría (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Colombia
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Edwin

Bogotá, Colombia

Valeria Rodríguez (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Uruguay
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Valeria

Montevideo, Uruguay

Julissa Ramírez (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from the Dominican Republic
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Julissa

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Victoria (2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija

Spanish from Argentina
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Victoria

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ricardo Segovia (2022)Original Source: Google Arts and Culture

Spanish from Chile
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Ricardo

Santiago, Chile

Katy (2022)Original Source: Google Arts and Culture

Spanish from Colombia
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Katy

Bogotá, Colombia

Credits: Story

Recordings from: Valeria Rodríguez, Edwin Santamaría, Daniela Bas, Santiago Álvarez, Cherrilyn Poblete, Rainer Pérez, Brenda Alfaro, Santiago Camacho, Julissa Ramírez, Victoria Campetella, Ricardo Segovia, Katy y Laura Martínez.

Curator: Rodrigo Díaz

Credits: All media
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