Accents of Cusco

During the past week or so, we have met Italians, Germans, Argentinians, Cubans, and native Peruvians. While all of them speak Spanish at a very high level, each of them bring a new accent based on either their first language or the region in which they lived.

The wine bar/pizza place we went to was owned by a nice Italian man, who knew very little Spanish. Still, what he did know was spoken with a certain Italian flavor.

The German owner of Granja Heidi speaks Spanish perfectly, but you can still detect an accent that distinguishes him from native speakers.

The owner of La Esquina Heladería was born in Cusco, but lived in Argentina for 30 years. As a result, his Spanish has developed a distinct accent that reveals the Italian influence on Argentina. For instance, every time he said "restaurante," it would be pronounced like "restaurant." He wouldn't say the "-eh" sound at the end, making it sound more English or Italian.

Elvira, being Cuban, again has a very distinct accent. Compared to other native Spanish speakers, it feels as though the words blend together more when spoken by a Cuban, making it more difficult to distinguish individual words even when the overall meaning is apparent.

As for native Peruvians, I have been able to distinguish between those who speak Quechua primarily and those who speak Spanish. Quechua-speakers tend to pronounce Spanish words less clearly--for instance, it was hard for me to understand that I was hearing "estás" because of the pronunciation. As for primarily Spanish-speaking Peruvians, the accent is very similar to what I have experienced in school. I haven't necessarily noticed any specific characteristics that distinguish it from other regional accents, but I will keep listening in the next two weeks.