¡Listo!

So amidst all this sightseeing, we do actually have class (a shame, I know -- or as they would say in España, ¡qué lástima!).  Yesterday was the first day and it was pretty interesting!  My half of the program has one class for three weeks, from 5:30-8:15 in the evening (with a 15-minute break in between the two halves of the class), called Contemporary Spanish Society.  So far, so good: we've gone over some basic info about Spain, like the geography, political atmosphere, etc.  We were assigned homework the first time for today (otro lástima) but it wasn't too bad, just a lot of reading.  But in a way, it was cool, because within the readings are several valuable things to know about Sevilla, and the "state" of Andalucía in general.  For example, this unit is all about the Andalusian (forgive my anglicization) dialect, called el andaluz.  There are certain things, at least linguistically, that separate the Andalusians from other Spaniards, such as the dropped or changed /s/ sound in the middle of words (i.e. mismo sounds like mihmo, Dios > Dio).

The data by itself is interesting, but so is the commentary.  And I find that really valuable because the commentary and analysis is in a different language and comes from a different culture.  Granted, that doesn't necessarily mean that Spanish thinkers, professors, and intellectuals approach things differently, but it could mean that.  So, in a way, this may never have been presented to me if I hadn't had this opportunity, which is something I'm definitely not taking for granted.

So that whole introduction was to set up this great intellectual nugget I found about language that I found in one of my readings.  It's taken from an article about myths surrounding the Andalusian dialect by Pedro Carbonero, if anyone is interested:

El lenguaje humano directo y espontáneo es primariamente oral y el texto escrito es un medio sustitutivo, utilizado para reflejar las palabras, nacido para asegurar su permanencia.

Really, really rough translation:

Direct, spontaneous human language is primarily oral.  Written text acts as its substitute, used to reflect words and to ensure their permanence.

I think that's a really, interesting approach to something that pertains to everyone.  Just thought I would share it!

I've got class again today, but not tomorrow!  We're going to the Real Alcázar around 15,30 (as they write the time here), which is around 9:30 EST.  I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

Hasta luego,

Nick