Accents

Listen to various accents. At first, you will find various accents, and you will either understand one better than another.

Practice in Spanish, if that is what you want to learn at this current time.
You can always listen to other accents at another time. This is actually a fun hobby.

For example, in this song, try to find out how many words you can understand.
This is important, because language is spoken in its natural speed. The tempo
is also a little different in songs and in certain people's speech patterns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gpisCAjGNM&feature=related

If you do not understand the words, perhaps it is because you do not understand the accent of the speaker, and in this case, the singer. You may KNOW the words themselves, or have a good vocabulary in Spanish now or in due time, but you will need to familiarise yourself with the accent in general.

I tend to speak Spanish slowly at first, and speed it up, if I need to do that.
I also use the colloquial Spanish I hear near me or around me. If I watch a telenovela, I investigate the accent first and equate it to that country or region.
This helps me when I meet people who have different accents when I move about in society.

Many new immigrants are afraid to listen to accents or the way people speak the language. The speed is either too rapid, or people do not know that you are a new language learner. You start to notice small things you miss. In conversation, you may be able to comprehend the words or meaning, but when you hear it in a movie or in a choir at church, the meaning is lost. (or the reverse)

Do not be dismayed. This is your mind allowing you to observe what you lack.
Work on resolving these issues in your spare time.

Perhaps, you may be facing a lack of practice in speaking. Writing, too, is overlooked, and that takes time in the future to sit, think, and write. You need to devote a period of time in the day in order to be able to write in Spanish as well.

Notice the accent as presented in this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6akSMrTwwc&feature=related

The accents are sometimes reserved for particular styles of music or songs. It can
be an individual's particular style as well. Try out various accents to see what you can discern at first. In Spanish, there are many styles of music. Ask a trusted friend to explain those styles to you at some point when neither of you is occupied.

I had a lot of trouble with accents on television at first. In time, I was able to process the speed. It does not happen on day one. You must have a repeated exposure to it every day in order to understand it.

In order to make up for this loss, I read Spanish more, and wrote it for class and university lessons. There are language laboratories at libraries and at schools that give you practice in the discernment of Spanish also. There, you will find taped conversations with accents.

If I were you, I would practice listening to a wide variety of accents at first to get used to them. That way, you will feel more comfortable when you actually first listen to someone who is using it as a spoken language.

Learning the Spanish language is a process of discovery for yourself and the people you meet. If you are aware of this, you will find successes (small and big) during the course of your studies.

Your brain may pass over words that you do not understand (or know), but that's what must naturally occur in order for you to learn. This does not mean you do not know a language. True language learners or teachers of that language know this and can point you in the right direction. If you lose meaning because of a particular accent, this can affect you in the long run. Take care to practice that in time.

If you have time, ask the person with you to repeat something or pronounce something. If you do not understand what the word was itself, then you must either ask for the meaning, look it up in some way or method you have chosen for that express purpose in time. Otherwise, you will never know or understand the sound or meaning of that word or concept in time.

Remember these things, and you will do well in Spanish.

(Practice: the companion site to this page
http://spanishsolitaire.blogspot.com )