Spain 11

Listen to Spain 11, a 58-year-old man from Barcelona, Spain. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 58

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 19/08/1967

PLACE OF BIRTH: Barcelona, Spain

GENDER: male

ETHNICITY: Caucasian/White

OCCUPATION: professor

EDUCATION: Ph.D

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

The subject says he spent about 35-40 years of his life in Spain (Barcelona and Madrid) before moving abroad. For the last 18 years, he has lived in Lisbon, Portugal; London, England; and Lausanne, Switzerland.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH:

He speaks Catalan fluently, and his mother tongue is Galician. He also speaks Portuguese and French. He is the husband of Spain 10.

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:

Hi. I grew up in Barcelona, and I actually spent about 35, 40 years of my life there before I moved abroad. One thing that’s a bit unusual about me is languages. I speak both Catalan and Spanish fluently, of course, because that’s part of everyday life in Barcelona, but my first language — my mother’s tongue — is Galician. It’s the language I grew up with at home, so even though I don’t have a Galician accent when I speak Spanish, that’s really the language that feels most “original” to me, if that makes sense.

As for English, I learned it at, uh, school, like a lot of people, but for the last 25 years or so it’s been my working language. So I use it a lot, and I’m very comfortable in it — even if I still sound Spanish, or Mediterranean, to some people.

I also speak Portuguese and French. Portuguese came quite naturally to me later on, especially because I lived in Portugal for a while. After that I lived in England, and these days I’m based in Switzerland. So I’ve been abroad for quite a long time now, and I guess my English has been shaped by all those places and by the people I’ve worked with over the years.

[Subject speaks Spanish]: Ahora voy a decir unas frases en Español: Me gusta leer y el cine, y también pasear al aire libre. En mi tiempo libre, suelo correr y nadar. Practico la natación desde que tenía dieciocho años; para mí, es un ejercicio que me relaja muchísimo. En verano, me encanta nadar en el mar, y, si no fuera porque el agua está muy fría, también lo haría en invierno.

[English translation: Now I’m going to say a few sentences in Spanish: I like reading and movies, and also going for walks outdoors. In my free time, I usually run and swim. I’ve been swimming since I was eighteen; for me, it’s an exercise that relaxes me a lot. In the summer, I love swimming in the sea, and if the water weren’t so cold, I would do it in the winter too.] …

[Subject speaks Galician]: Boas. Pois hoxe quería falar dun sitio que para min é realmente especial, que é O Courel, en Lugo. Moita xente pensa en Galicia e vai directa á costa, ás Rías Baixas, a Santiago de Compostela, pero o Courel é outro mundo: interior, montaña, e unha natureza moi presente, moi de verdade Cando chegas por Folgoso do Courel ou por Seoane, xa notas que o ritmo cambia. As estradas son estreitas, con curvas, vas subindo e baixando, e de repente ábrese un val e ves aldeíñas pequenas con casas de lousa, todo pegado ao monte. Sitios como A Seara ou Visuña teñen ese aire de lugar antigo, como se o tempo fose máis lento, e mesmo a luz parece distinta alí. A min gústame especialmente polo outono, polas cores dos castiñeiros e dos carballos. Vas por un carreiro e todo se pon dourado, cobre, vermello escuro, e o chan está cheo de follas. E hai ese cheiro a terra húmida e a bosque que che entra de golpe e, non sei, déixate ben. Ademais, no Courel a auga está por todas partes: fontes, regatos, pequenos ríos; ti vas andando e vas escoitando a auga ao lado, como acompañándote, e iso dá unha sensación de calma moi agradable. E tamén hai que dicilo: nos últimos anos o Courel sufriu incendios e nalgúns puntos nótase, con zonas máis peladas e manchas no monte. Dá pena velo, pero ao mesmo tempo impresiona ver como a natureza vai recuperando pouco a pouco, e como a xente da zona segue coidando o territorio, mantendo camiños, aldeas, e esa vida tranquila. En fin, para min, o Courel é un sitio para camiñar sen présa, mirar arredor, respirar fondo e volver coa cabeza máis limpa. Se podedes, ide con tempo e deixade que vos faga efecto.

[English translation: Hi. Today I’d like to talk about a place that is truly special to me: O Courel, in the province of Lugo. Many people think of Galicia and go straight to the coast, the Rías Baixas, or Santiago de Compostela, but O Courel is a different world: inland, mountainous, with a very strong, very real sense of nature. When you arrive via Folgoso do Courel or Seoane, you can already feel the pace changing. The roads are narrow and winding, you go up and down, and suddenly a valley opens up and you see small villages with slate houses, all pressed up against the mountainside. Places like A Seara or Visuña have that feeling of somewhere old, as if time moved more slowly there, and even the light seems different. I especially like it in autumn, because of the colors of the chestnut trees and the oaks. You walk along a path and everything turns golden, copper, deep red, and the ground is covered in leaves. And there’s that smell of damp earth and woodland that hits you all at once and, I don’t know, it just makes you feel good. Also, in O Courel water is everywhere: springs, streams, little rivers; you walk along and you keep hearing the water nearby, almost as if it’s accompanying you, and it gives a very pleasant sense of calm. And it also has to be said: In recent years, O Courel has suffered from wildfires, and in some areas you can see it, with barer patches and marks on the hillsides. It’s sad to see, but at the same time it’s impressive to watch how nature slowly recovers, and how local people keep caring for the land, maintaining paths and villages, and that quiet way of life. In short, for me, O Courel is a place to walk without rushing, look around, breathe deeply, and come back with a clearer head. If you ever can, go with time, and let it work its effect on you.]

TRANSCRIBED BY: subject

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 04/01/2026 and 10/01/2026

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

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