Spanish: F–10 Sequence / Levels 7 and 8 / Understanding / Language variation and change
Content description
Investigate the nature and extent of Spanish language use in both Australian and global contexts
Elaborations
recognising that Spanish is an important world language spoken in a range of varieties, accents and grammatical variations across the Spanish-speaking world, for example, by identifying Spanish-speaking countries or regions on a world map
understanding the nature of the distribution of Spanish speakers across the world, not only in countries where Spanish is an official language but also in other countries such as the United States and the Philippines where the Spanish language and cultures have an important presence
exploring language variation in relation to vocabulary, for example, ‘strawberries’ are fresas in Spain and frutillas in Argentina; ‘bus’ is colectivo in Venezuela, ómnibus in Peru, camión in Mexico and guagua in Cuba
recognising that there is also variation in some grammatical forms, for example, the use of the pronoun vos in several Latin American countries compared to tú in Spain; the masculine direct object pronoun le/lo in Spain and lo in Latin America
recognising differences between standard varieties of Spanish and varying degrees of language blending and influence, for example, Spanglish
recognising that many speakers of Spanish also speak one or more regional and/or local languages, such as Catalan or Basque; and researching the extent and impact of Spanish-language networks, associations and activities in different Australian communities, for example, creating a database classifying activities, events, exchange and media organisations, Spanish-speaking films on SBS, advertisements for travel to Spanish-speaking countries, and Spanish language classes
