Well the Z is definitely pronounced like a TH. Unless you pronounce it like an S of course.

[QUOTE=lynnxa;4960549]why is everyone getting their knickers in such a twist

No knicker twisting for me, lynnxa. It's a game. Win some, lose some!
Carol

the rules of this game are hard to follow!

Sit on the floor lean slightly back, then to the left, then forward, then to the right, do this routine 10 times.

definitely maybe.

Oh boy!

Wasn´t that a bjork song? Or was that possibly maybe?

Oasis Album

Ah yes! I think I´ve got that somewhere. Should dig out my old stuff a bit more often.

This is something than even Spanish people don't pronounce correctly. Most of us, pronounce the "ll" as a "y". But this is not the appropiate pronuntiation. In Spain, people from Valladolid are, I think, the only ones, that pronounce it in a correct way, and it is impossible to transcribe it, you would have to hear me.
But don't worry, as I said, most of Spanish people, pronounce it as a "Y", the phonetical transcription in spanish would be "ia".
Sorry, it is very difficult to explain to it by writing instead of hearing.

I was just getting to that.

I'm half Swedish half Spanish and spent many a years in spain as a kid - to the point I was fluent in it when I was 6 (as fluent as a 6 year old can be) and then studied spanish back in Sweden - but as with any knowledge - don't use it and you'll forget it.

However - ll = y (english) j (german, skandinavian), y (french).
Paella = Paeya

It is also correct as mikelincs says that ll can be ly. i.e. Paella = Paelya where the l is hardly audible. It dialectual and geographical differences.

I grew up in Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Mijas as a child and spoke Anducian dialect. I remember it being "paelya".

Good luck!

You are were I grew up and this is exactly how I remember it.

I need to take spanish classes sometime just to refresh what I have forgotten.

Lets throw a spanner into the works... People have forgotten to mention South American Spanish, which has a completely set of different pronounciations than Castillian Spanish. Now...Like kids and some adults in the UK who are using more and more Americanisms in their everyday language and their pronounciations, the younger population of Spain are doing the same with their South American Cousins.

South Americans pronounce LL like a J, and in some parts of Spain they do the same, but more in slang pronounciation sort of way. But there are no exact letters in the english language that correctly convey the prononciation of LL in Spanish. The correct way is a sound very similar to Y in English but it is said more from the back/bottom part of your throat which can also be very similar to J in English, just not as harsh.

Its all very confusing, but at the end of the day, if you are understood by the locals on what you are saying then there shouldn't be any problems in how you prononce words , what you need to remember is, that when we hear a someone who is not English speaking English, most of the time we can identify that they are not English through their accent. Well the same is said for English people speaking Spanish, even if they are completely fluent, they will speak with an accent . With the exception of little kids that have been speaking the language since they were tiny.

I have but I'm told it has bugger all to do with anything!!

If you start with L you will find that the tip of the tongue should be slightly further back on the palate and the tongue scoop shaped (hollowed).

If that makes any sense.