First, let’s clarify what a loanword is: a word with a foreign origin used in our language. In other words, a word we’ve borrowed from another language.
And how do we pronounce them in Spanish? I’ll explain it to you in Spanish in this video, or if you prefer, keep reading.
What is phonological filtering?
We have a type of filter in our heads. So, when we hear words from other languages that contain sounds we don’t have, our heads transform them into sounds that do exist in our language. This is necessary because otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to reproduce the original word. Let’s see it with an example:
When a person whose native language is English pronounces the word “Michael Jackson,” and then a Spanish speaker repeats it, they say something similar to “Maikel Yakson.” This is because in Spanish, the sound created by the letter “J” in the word “Jackson” doesn’t exist. However, since we have to say something, the mind filters this sound and transforms it into another one. It’s like if the mind had to place this sound in a box. It tries to find the box for that sound, but it doesn’t exist, so it decides to place it in the box with the most similar sound. In this case, it identifies it as if it were a “Y.” It’s as if we were deaf and couldn’t hear the difference.
That’s why when we pronounce the word “Michael Jackson,” after passing it through the filter, we use that sound that is part of our repertoire.
What happens, in other words, is that we pronounce these words with our own rules, and that’s why to a native English speaker, it may seem like we have a strong accent.
This applies to all sounds, with the difference that some of them do exist in Spanish, so the mind knows in which box to place them, and it doesn’t have to filter and transform them into more “Spanish” sounds.
Would a non-native speaker also have to pronounce them this way?
We are pronouncing words that are already part of Spanish; they have foreign origins but are no longer foreign to us. We recognize them as our own, apply our rules to them, and it’s the official way to pronounce them in Spanish.
So, if you want to sound completely like a Spanish speaker, you will also have to pronounce them the way we do, and NOT in the original way.
Does the same happen in Latin America?
Interestingly, it doesn’t. In most of Latin America, they don’t apply the filter I mentioned earlier. They prefer to pronounce the foreign word as closely as possible to the original.
And what happens if I pronounce them in the original way?
You might be surprised, but when a Spanish speaker, while speaking Spanish, pronounces a foreign word with the original pronunciation, it comes across as very arrogant, as if they are trying to show off their knowledge of other languages. The person they are speaking to may even mock that pronunciation.
This probably happens because it’s not common, so when someone changes the pronunciation and uses the original one, it attracts attention and generates surprise and laughter. In the Spanish used in Spain, we like to always maintain the sounds of Spanish, in order to keep that code consistent when speaking Spanish. Otherwise, it seems like you’re breaking the expected melody in the sentence. It’s as if there was suddenly a part of classical music in the middle of a rock song or viceversa.
Does the filter always work?
Well, almost always. Although sometimes, especially with older words, it’s preferred to read the letters as they are written, as if they were Spanish words. Perhaps because there wasn’t much audiovisual media in the past, so when a foreign word reached Spain, it came through written media. Since it wasn’t common to learn other languages, it was simply read with Spanish rules.
For example, the word “surf” is not pronounced “serf,” which is how the filter would affect it and how it would be transformed with our closest sounds. Instead, it is pronounced with the letter ‘U,’ just as it is written.
Does the filter only work with sounds?
This is interesting because the filter is much stronger than that, and it also works for combinations of sounds. That means if we hear a sequence of sounds that is not typical in Spanish, we probably won’t be able to pronounce it, and we’ll have to adapt it to our rules, just like with sounds.
The classic example is the word “stop.” In Spanish, we don’t have words that start with ‘S + consonant,’ so starting a word that way is very difficult for us. It’s simply not something we’re used to, and it feels uncomfortable. The solution is to insert an ‘E’ in front to make it easier: “estop.” This combination, which exists in Spanish (E + S in one syllable and T + vowel in another), is the most similar way we can transform the previous word. To us, “stop” and “estop” sound the same because, as we’ve seen before, we are deaf to sounds or combinations that are not native to our language.
If you’re interested in this topic and want to sound as “Spanish” as possible, you should also pronounce these words the way we do. For this reason, I’ve created a FREE course where I analyze all the changes our filter makes. Just click the button below.