Do Spanish Speakers Talk Faster than English Speakers

Do people who speak Spanish speak a lot faster than we do, or does it just seem that way? The best answer appears to be that it just seems that way. Although Im sure I have read that Spanish speakers use more words per minute than do English speakers, I have repeatedly searched in vain for any reliable studies to back up that belief. Even if we knew that Spanish speakers in general used more syllables per minute, that might not mean a whole lot, because Spanish syllables tend to be shorter than English ones. It is normal for Spanish syllables to not have more than two consonants, while it is not unusual for English syllables to have three or four — and the one-syllable word strengths has eight consonants with only one vowel. The Spanish equivalent, solideces, may take no more time to pronounce even though it has four syllables. A 2011 study by Franà §ois Pel ­legrino the Univer ­sity of Lyon in France found that Spanish speakers used more syllables per second than speakers of many other languages — but syllables in Spanish also tend to be shorter. The study found that speakers of different languages tend to convey about the same amount of information per minute. Rate of Speech Varies Widely With Context In any case, it is difficult to make comparisons. The rate of speech can very enormously even among individual speakers. I remember watching the Mexican president (then Vicente Fox) give a formal speech, and he spoke at a rate that made him easy to be understood, even by relatively new Spanish speakers. But in an interview later that day, he spoke more rapidly, and I assume that if he were in an animated conversation he would speak at a rate that would make it difficult for non-native speakers to comprehend him. Pay attention to your own rate of speech. In a given day you may speak quite deliberately at times with careful enunciation, while at other times you may speak a mile a minute. The same is true for Spanish speakers. Whatever the differences are, probably the reason it seems like Spanish is so much faster is because you dont know the language. Since you know English well, you dont have to hear every single sound in every single word to know what is said, because your mind is able to fill in the gaps and to determine where one word ends and the next begins. But until you know another language well, you dont have that ability with it. It also seems to be true that the process of elision — the omission of sounds as words run together — is more extensive in Spanish than it is in English (although perhaps not as extensive as in French). In Spanish, for example, a phrase such as ella ha hablado (meaning she has spoken) typically will end up sounding like ellablado, meaning the distinct sound of an entire word (ha) plus part of another word are gone. Also, most Spanish consonants (other than the à ±) can seem indistinct to the ear accustomed to English, making understanding a bit more difficult. I dont know of any fixes for the problem, except that practice makes perfect (or if not perfect, better). As you learn Spanish, try to listen for Spanish phrases rather than individual words, and perhaps that will speed up the process of understanding. Addendum The following letter received after the initial publication of this article raises some interesting points. One of them, about the different formation of syllables in the two languages, make sense, so Im adding the letter here: Somewhere I read the results of a study that concluded Spanish is spoken more rapidly than English. The reason is the typical Spanish syllable is open (meaning consonant-vowel) while in English the typical syllable is closed (consonant-vowel-consonant). Words with more than one syllable in English tend to have two dissimilar consonants together requiring a slowing of speech to sound both of them. We natural English speakers get to be pretty adept at sounding two consonants together, but it is tough for a natural Spanish speaker to do. In Spanish when two consonants are together the natural speaker often inserts an extra (unwritten and soft) vowel sound between them. For example in the Spanish word AGRUPADO, you can hear it pronounced AGuRUPADO. The extra u is short and soft, but separates the consonants. Natural English speakers have no problem sounding GR without inserting an extra vowel, but we do it at a slightly slower rate. Your comments about Vicente Fox are interesting. I have found political figures usually speak so clearly that I can understand them better than the general Spanish speaking public. This is especially true when they are giving addresses. Although I seldom liked what he said, I used to enjoy listening to Fidel Castro because he was so easy to understand. These days his voice has a senile quality that interferes with clarity somewhat. Most ministers have the same clear speech as political leaders, and thus religious services are good places to practice your Spanish listening skills if you are a learner. Key Takeaways It seems to more a matter of perception than reality that native Spanish speakers talk more rapidly than do native English speakers.The rate of speech can vary widely, even for an individual, depending on the nature and purpose of the speech.Formal presentations by political or religious leaders may offer an opportunity for learners of a language to hear slower-spaced speech.