Spain 10

Listen to Spain 10, a 57-year-old woman from Alicante, Spain. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

Both as a courtesy and to comply with copyright law, please remember to credit IDEA for direct or indirect use of samples. IDEA is a free resource; please consider supporting us.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 57

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 08/08/1968

PLACE OF BIRTH: Málaga, Spain (but raised in Alicante)

GENDER: female

ETHNICITY: Caucasian/White

OCCUPATION: housewife

EDUCATION: bachelor’s degree

AREAS OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

The subject lived in Spain (Málaga, Alicante, Barcelona, and Madrid) until the age of 38. For approximately the last 20 years of her life, she has lived in Lisbon, Portugal; London, England; and Lausanne, Switzerland.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH:

Her parents and other members of her family have strong Andalusian accents. Because of that, she says she uses many expressions that are from Andalusia. However, she says she does not have the typical Andalusian dialect when speaking Spanish, resulting in some people perceiving her dialect as a “neutral” Spanish sound. She is the wife of Spain 11.

The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here.

RECORDED BY: subject

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 04/01/2026

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

Eh, I was born in Málaga, but I grew up in Alicante, where part of my family lives. I also have family in Málaga, and I visited quite often, well, always when I can. When I speak Spanish, I don’t really have an Andalusian accent, but I do use some typical expressions from there. I grew up and studied in Alicante, but I have also lived in Barcelona and in Madrid. Later, I moved abroad with my family: first to Portugal, then to England, and now I live in Switzerland. I studied English at a, at a language school in Madrid, and I got my Cambridge First Certificate in England. However, I think my accent sounds very Spanish. I don’t use English at work, but my children went to international schools in the countries where we lived. So I have practiced English with other parents, teachers, and my children’s friends.

[Subject speaks Spanish]: Ahora unas frases en Español: Además del Inglés, hablo un poco de Portugués y algo de Francés. En casa vemos las películas y las series casi siempre en Inglés, con subtítulos. Me gusta viajar, hacer ejercicio en el gimnasio y disfrutar de la gastronomía de España cuando vuelvo allí de vacaciones.

[English translation: Now a few sentences in Spanish: Besides English, I speak a little Portuguese and some French. At home, we almost always watch movies and TV series in English, with subtitles. I enjoy traveling, working out at the gym, and enjoying Spanish cuisine when I go back there on vacation.]

TRANSCRIBED BY: subject

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 04/01/2026

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY: N/A

COMMENTARY BY: N/A

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

The archive provides:

• Recordings of accent/dialect speakers from the region you select.

• Text of the speakers’ biographical details.

• Scholarly commentary and analysis in some cases.

• In most cases, an orthographic transcription of the speakers’ unscripted speech.  In a small number of cases, you will also find a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample (see Phonetic Transcriptions for a complete list).  The recordings average four minutes in length and feature both the reading of one of two standard passages, and some unscripted speech. The two passages are Comma Gets a Cure (currently our standard passage) and The Rainbow Passage (used in our earliest recordings).

For instructional materials or coaching in the accents and dialects represented here, please go to Other Dialect Services.