Uruguay is a country that has a special relationship with its language. Since the 1800s, Uruguay has seen an influx of immigrants from Spain, Italy and other parts of Europe, and thousands of slaves each speaking their own African language. All of this has led to an interesting mix and a special variety of Spanish, with vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation that reflect its rich and turbulent history. Today, the difference between the Rioplatense variety of Spanish and peninsular Spanish is similar to that between the North American and the British varieties of English. The very Spanish Instituto Cervantes nowadays promotes – in its DELE proficiency tests – a Pan-Hispanic variety of Spanish, including the South American grammatical forms, local pronunciation and local vocabulary.
In Uruguay, students have the opportunity to learn about the great literary traditions of the region and its classic authors. Writers such as Quiroga, De Benedetti, Onetti, Galeano and many others have spread the culture and language of the Río de la Plata around the world and cemented literary and linguistic categories.
POTENTIAL PROGRAMS
- Spanish as a foreign language on all levels from beginner to teacher training
- An overview of Hispano-American Literature in the 20thcentury
- Classic and contemporary authors of Uruguay