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Local Spain
16-05-2025
- General
- Local Spain
Why do they speak 'perfect' Spanish in Valladolid?
It has long been said that that the people in the Castilla y León city of Valladolid speak the most 'perfect' castellano (how Spanish in the whole of Spain. Recently, the mayor of Valladolid Francisco Javier León de la Riva reiterated this when he said that Valladolid is the place in the world where the "purest" Spanish is spoken. The premise for this is vallisoletano Spanish is the most representative of the standard Spanish favoured by the Real Academia Española (RAE), Spain's official language academy. Is there any truth to this, is there such a thing as a more official Spanish? Firstly it's important to distinguish between language and accent. One is referring to grammar and sentence construction, as opposed to how the people pronounce certain words, but of course different regions in Spain use slightly different grammar and phrases anyway. Often a different construction comes with a different accent, but most of the time when Spaniards refer to the best or most 'perfect' Spanish, they're usually referring to the clarity and accuracy with which words are pronounced, something that's usually determined by accent. According to Inés Fernández Ordóñez from the RAE, if it were necessary to determine the linguistic variety that most closely approximates to standard Spanish, Valladolid would not actually be her choice, but rather Soria, also in Castilla y León or Guadalajara in Castilla–La Mancha. So where did the claim that Valladolid's Spanish is the best originate? The current director of the RAE, José Manuel Blecua, has repeatedly stated that the 'perfect Spanish' is a "myth" which comes from the reference made by the Frenchwoman Madame D'Aulnoy in her book Viaje por España (Journey through Spain), written in the 17th century. The people from Madrid (Madrileños) often boast that they speak the best Spanish too. Other linguistic experts say that the best Spanish is spoken between La Rioja and Burgos, because it best conforms to the standards dictated by the RAE. This includes Burgos, Palencia, Salamanca, and Valladolid. Spain's National Institute of Statistics (INE) also conducted its own study and discovered that the best Spanish is spoken in Cantabria and Asturias. They claim that in Cantabria, 98.2 percent of citizens speak Spanish perfectly, while in Asturias the figure rises to 98.4 percent. So who is correct? All of them to a degree. Generally, the most quintessential Spanish is considered to be from the northern and central regions. This is because Castilian, which foreigners know as Spanish, began as a dialect spoken in northern Spain. It became language of the court of the kingdoms of Castilla y León in the 12th century and then when Spain was unified in 1479, it became the language used by the whole country. Other areas of Spain had their own language up until that point and today they still do, such as Catalan spoken in Catalonia, Euskera in the Basque Country and Galician in Galicia. For many of these people Spanish or castellano is actually a second language or second mother tongue. Many foreigners still choose to study Spanish in the region of Castilla y León, and there are many language schools and prestigious universities there, but you'll find Spanish language learners all over the country. If there is an advantage that the northern half of Spain does have over the southern regions is that the people here have a very clear neutral accent, so it's a lot easier for foreigners to understand. They don't have the ceceo (pronouncing a 'th' for an 's', 'c' and 'z', which sounds like a lisp but is not) sound like some places in Andalusia, or the seseo (using the the 's' sound in place of 'z' and 'c') like the in the Canaries do – similar to those from Latin American countries such as Venezuela or Cuba. Spain's national stats body did conclude that the two places where the 'worst' Spanish is spoken are Murcia (southeastern Spain) and Melilla (one of two Spanish city regions in northern Africa). Murcianos are renowned for having the hardest accent to understand and are often mocked for it, so keeping in mind that the claim is a partly based on a survey where people were asked about their own linguistic abilities, it could be that respondents from Murcia were slightly self-deprecating. The truth is that while those in Valladolid and the north do speak very clear and grammatically correct Spanish, there is no one correct answer of who speaks the best or the most perfect Castilian. All the different ways of speaking Spanish in Spain and the accompanying accents are special in their own way and that's one of the aspects that makes Spain so interesting is its linguistic variety. Keeping in mind that the vast majority of the 600+ million Spanish speakers in the world are in Latin America, and they may also have something to say about what constitutes the 'best' castellano.
Saba Yemen
15-05-2025
- Business
- Saba Yemen
Tunisian economy records annual growth driven by agricultural sector
Tunis – Saba: The Tunisian economy grew by 1.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, supported by the agricultural sector, according to data released on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) in Tunisia. This growth is attributed to the positive performance of the agricultural sector, which contributed 0.59% to the overall GDP growth, alongside a 0.5% increase in industrial output compared to the first quarter of 2024. On a quarterly basis, however, Tunisia's economic growth declined by 0.2% in Q1 2025 compared to the last quarter of 2024, as per the institute's data. Unemployment in Tunisia dropped to 15.7% in the first quarter of 2025, down from 16% in the previous recorded figure from Q3 2024. According to the same data, youth unemployment (ages 15–24) fell to 37.7% from 40.5% in Q3 2024. Unemployment among university graduates also decreased to 23.5%, down from 25% in the same period. This month, the Tunisian government pledged to resume hiring in the public sector, which had been suspended since 2017 due to fiscal constraints. Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Riyadh Chaoud, stated that the 2025 budget includes around 20,000 job opportunities in public administration and state-owned enterprises. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
African Manager
14-05-2025
- Business
- African Manager
Tunisia's trade deficit spirals
As the months go by, Tunisia's trade deficit shows no sign of abating. Since the beginning of the current year, it has been widening visibly, as imports widen their gap with exports. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), during the first four months of 2025, trade at current prices reached 20,725.2 million dinars (MD) on the export side, compared with 21,245.2 MD four months ago, and 28,019.3 MD on the import side. As a result of this trend in exports (-2.4%) and imports (+7.8%), the trade deficit stood at (-7,294.1 MD) compared to (-4,734.8 MD) in the first four months of 2024. The coverage rate reached a level of (74%) compared with (81.8%) in the same period of 2024. Agro-food exports plunge -19.2% By industry, exports of machinery and equipment rose by 2.6%, mining, phosphates and derivatives by 6.1% and textiles, clothing and leather by 0.1%. On the other hand, exports fell in the energy sector (-33%) as a result of the drop in the country's sales of refined products (105.8 MD against 621.2 MD) and in the food sector (-19.2%) as a result of lower olive oil sales (1,758.6 MD against 2,450.2 MD). Imports: capital goods lead the way By product group, imports of capital goods rose by 22.1%, while imports of raw materials and semi-finished goods increased by 11.3%, pointing to future improvements in investment and production capacity. Imports of consumer goods (+15.7%) and food (+0.6%) also increased. Conversely, imports of energy products fell by 14.2%. Egypt stands out Tunisian exports to the European Union in the first four months of 2025 (70.1% of total exports) reached the value of 14,524.3 MD compared with 15,069.2 MD in the first four months of 2024. Exports increased with Germany (+14.3%) and the Netherlands (+10.2%). On the other hand, they fell with France (-1.7%), Italy (-9.4%) and Spain (-33%). Exports to the Arab countries increased with Libya (+36.5%), Morocco (+45.6%), Algeria (+23.4%) and Egypt (+81.1%). Imports with the European Union (43.3% of total imports) reached 12,139.6 MD compared with 11,451.6 MD in the first four months of 2002. Imports increased with France (+12.3%), Italy (+8.2%) and Germany (+10.5%). Conversely, they fell in Greece (-33.6%) and Belgium (-5.3%). Outside the European Union, imports increased with China (+54.1%) and Turkey (+14.6%). They fell for Russia (-14.1%) and Ukraine (-15.8%). Trade balance by product The trade balance showed a deficit (-7,294.1 MD). This deficit is mainly due to energy (-3,683.3 MD), raw materials and semi-finished goods (-2,462.2 MD), capital goods (-1179.6 MD) and consumer non-durables (-602.4 MD). On the other hand, the food group recorded a surplus (+633.3 MD). On the other hand, it should be noted that the trade deficit excluding energy narrowed to (-3,610.9 MD), while the energy deficit stood at (-3,683.3MD), compared to (-4,026.3MD) in the first four months of 2024.
Daily Mirror
09-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Tourist slams Spanish island in brutal 'rip-off' letter as Brits priced out
Riled by 'drastic' price increases on hotels and restaurants, a passionate British tourist has slammed Spain for making one of its most popular islands completely 'unaffordable' The extent of Spain's escalating anti-tourist rhetoric has been laid bare - and it seems Brits are paying the full price quite literally. Last year, the country witnessed a record-breaking 94 million international visitors flock to its mainland, and slew of insatiably popular islands. It was an unprecedented tourist boom that quickly descended into chaos, motivating droves of fed-up locals to take to the street and demand holidaymakers 'go home'. The string of confrontational protests has kept their momentum, with activists vowing to 'intensify' their efforts ahead of the looming summer season. Demonstrations have even taken a violent spin in recent months- with one shocking sign threatening to 'Kill a Tourist' popping up in Tenerife. Reports also suggest anonymous locals set fire to rental cars - often used by tourists to explore the island - to make their message clear. Despite the furore, it seems some Brits are willing to persevere - unable to image a world without their beloved Costa del sun. Edward Fox, who has been holidaying in Mallorca for more than three decades, visits the island for up to nine weeks every single year. In a brutal letter sent to Majorca Daily Bulletin - a Spanish news site for English readers - Edward passionately argued the island has undergone a 'drastic' up-charge on accommodation as well as food and drink prices. He insists these rising prices are 'not reflective' of global inflation figures, and is worsened by growing 'tourist tax' levies that can sting travellers with up to €4 fees per night. The Spain-enthusiast went on to claim Mallorca is now 'unaffordable' for most British tourists - who are now opting to visit cheaper destinations such as 'Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines'. "So go ahead Mallorca, bite the hand that has came to this island put so much money into your tourism, infrastructure, government , hoteliers pockets etc etc for the best part of 40 years," Edward wrote. "Us tourists 'Do Bite Back', and me personally and many hundreds of thousands of tourists have bitten back. As a seasoned traveller to Mallorca it is getting far too expensive and non tourist friendly and everything is so not worth visiting or holidaying on this island until your Balearic Government and the people of Mallorca realise this." Edward also raised issue with locals referring to tourists as 'guiris'. This is a word that describes English-speaking foreigners, but has slowly expanded to include northern European tourists as a whole. Article continues below Despite Edward's concerns, it seems most Brits aren't fazed by rising costs or growing hostility. New data published by Spain's National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica) found a staggering 810,045 international visitors flocked to the Balearics during the first three-months of 2025 - a 3.6 per cent increase compared to the year before. However, with threats of more planned protests in the summer - Brits may start listening to the demands of frustrated locals, who argue that over-tourism is worsening the country's housing crisis. In fact, hotel bookings in Tenerife - one of Spain's most popular hotspots - have already warned of a hotel booking 'slump' ahead of the peak season.
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Brits flood Canary Islands as all-time record smashed and key message ignored
Despite growing hostilities and rampant anti-tourist sentiment, it seems swathes of Brits cannot be deterred when it comes to sunning it up in the insatiably popular Canary Islands An influx of tourists has broken records in the insatiably popular Canary Islands - despite stark warnings from locals. New data published by Spain's National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica) found the archipelago was Spain's main destination for holidaymakers in March. Lured in by the boozy strips of Tenerife, Lanzarote's volcanic vineyards, or Gran Canaria and its vast sand dunes, holidays to the Canaries accounted for almost a quarter (23.6 per cent) of the country's total visitor makeup. A staggering 1.56 million tourists flocked to the group of islands, marking a 0.9 per cent increase compared to the same year before. In the first three months of 2025, the Canary Islands witnessed a 2.1 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. While this has bolstered spending figures in the area (with foreign tourists pumping a whopping €2.43 billion (around £2.06 billion) into the economy) not everybody will be happy with the revelation. The new figures come amid rising anti-tourist sentiment and growing hostility - with demonstrators arguing the insufferably busy islands have reached a ' critical tipping point '. Concerned that soaring demand for holiday homes and short-term rentals will price them out of the property market, calls against over-tourism have become intrinsically linked to Spain's housing crisis. Locals have also flagged concerns over rowdy tourists damaging national parks, clogging up traffic, and treating their homeland like a 'theme park'. All of this spearheaded the slew of protests that erupted across the country last year - with thousands of frustrated residents flocking to the streets, armed with banners demanding Brits 'go home'. Want the latest travel news and cheapest holiday deals sent straight to your inbox? Sign up to our Travel Newsletter More recently, anti-tourist rhetoric appears to have taken a violent turn. Back in March, a horrifying sign threatening to 'Kill A Tourist' was spotted in Tenerife, while reports also emerged that anonymous activists had set fire to rental cars on the island to make their message clear. More protests across the archipelago have been planned for this month, with more than a dozen groups pledging to take part under the umbrella protest platform 'Canarias Tiene Un Limite' (The Canaries Have a Limit). As previously reported, a spokesperson said: "Today, our dependence on tourism is greater than ever, housing is more inaccessible than ever, the levels of poverty and social exclusion keep rising, we're losing our unique natural heritage in the world at an alarming rate and macro-projects serving foreign speculation continue unabated. "We're still lacking a true change of model that guarantees a decent future for the people who live on these islands. That's why we're announcing that, in the month of May, we will take to the streets of Tenerife again and we call on the other seven islands to join us again in this shared mission". Spanish activists have also promised to unleash misery on Brits this summer, with Menys Turisme Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life) - who have been at the forefront of Spain's anti-tourist wave - vowing to 'intensify' efforts over the peak months. This could explain Tenerife's sudden slump in hotel booking over the summer season.
