WHERE IS THE BEST SPANISH SPOKEN?
People studying English may be told the “best” English is spoken in Oxford. It’s a pretty meaningless statement. In the context of “Iberian” (ie Spanish) Spanish, you may be told the best Spanish is spoken in Castilla (Castille) – and the Spanish often refer to their language as “Castellano” – but the reality is that if you learn Spanish from educated people anywhere in Spain or South or Central America, your Spanish will be quite acceptable.
WHAT IS THE BEST ACCENT TO ADOPT?
A difficult question to answer, because it really depends where you are going to use your Spanish. If you learn to speak with a Mexican or Argentinian accent but plan to use your language skills in Spain, that might be a bit odd, though not particularly so. Probably the best default position, however, is to learn standard Iberian Spanish.
WHAT ABOUT SOUTH-AMERICAN SPANISH?
We often get asked for “a South-American teacher, because I am going there”! But South America is a big place, and accents and language vary widely. For example, there is a particular variety of Spanish used in Argentina and Uruguay (called “River Plate” Spanish), which is different from the Spanish spoken in Mexico. Varieties of Spanish do vary, but whichever variety you learn you will be able to communicate fine with other Spanish speakers, and, depending where you are, you will find yourself adapting to the use of local accent, pronunciation and vocabulary quite quickly.
If you join us as a student, you will find lots more useful info in the Study Zone, to which you will have password access.