Visual Link Spanish Newsletter (V:1; I:18)

Spanish Culture ----- Different Spanish Symbols ¿?

A common question asked among those learning Spanish is: "What is the '¿' sign at the beginning of questions in Spanish?" (see Spanish Words of the Week, above, for an example). It is officially called -- Are you ready this super technical term? -- the "upside-down question mark." It is placed at the beginning of any Spanish sentence that is a question.

Many people think, "Why in the world does Spanish have an upside down question mark?" Actually, you'll see as we talk about it that it makes a lot of sense and will help you speak Spanish with the correct tone of voice. You may even want to petition the people that make English grammar rules and get them to put an upside-down question mark in the English language.

Allow me to explain why you would need an upside-down question mark at the beginning of a sentence and how it could help you. When I was in High School English class, we would read quite a few short stories and plays aloud. The whole class would follow along and students would take turns reading different parts or paragraphs. I remember more than once, when I was reading a long paragraph, all of a sudden, I would get to the end and realize there was a question mark. The problem was that I had read the whole paragraph as if it were a statement. I would then try to compensate and make my voice change at the last minute so it sounded like a question. I know I must have sounded ridiculous trying to change my voice at the last minute, and I was always a bit embarrassed when this would happen.

Has this ever happened to you?

With the upside-down question mark, that never happens in Spanish because you see that a sentence is a question from the start! No more embarrassing "end of sentence voice change to compensate for question marks" phobia or embarrassment.

I love the Spanish language and all the cool little things they have like the "upside-down question mark". Maybe with this newsletter, we can start a grass-roots effort to change the English language and add the "upside-down question mark"! Call your senator or parliament representative today, or maybe even forward them this e-mail so we can avoid "end of sentence voice change to compensate for question mark" phobia and embarrassment for good!

Anyway, if you can't tell, I love the Spanish language and hope that through this newsletter and by learning Spanish with our Visual Link Spanish™ course, you gain the same love for it that I have.

To learn Spanish try our free Spanish lessons.

¡Hasta luego! (Until Later!)


David S. Clark -- President
U.S. Institute of Languages
dave@spanishprograms.com
http://www.spanishprograms.com