The+Spanish+of+Argentina

=Argentina=





__Geography __  Argentina has a vastly different geography. The lowland areas in Argentina are apart of the [|Pampas] , they are the fertile, farmed lands, they are flat and sparse compared to other areas of Argentina. Wind mills are used in the Pampas to get water to the estancias, cattle ranches, that are not centrally located to a river or water source. Not all of the land in Argentina is flat, a portion of the Andes Mountain range is located down the western border, between Chile and Argentina. The highest mountain peak in the Americas, and the world outside of the Himalayas, is located in the Argentine Andes. Aconcagua means stone sentinel in the indigenous language Guarani, the mountain is 6,962 meters high and was first climbed successfully in 1897 by a Swiss mountain guide. The mountain is known for its difficult ascent and its extreme temperatures. The extreme temperatures on Mount Aconcagua mirror the immense climate difference throughout Argentina. According to Winter the difference in climate is the same as the difference in climate you would expect to find between Sicily, Italy and Iceland. The Greater Chaco area, northern Argentina, has a very hot climate, while in Southern Patagonia has a very cold climate. The Andes get very little rain and in Misiones, North Central Argentina, recieves tropical downpours. The varying climate is to be expected in a Country as large as Argentina. It ranks as the second largest country in South America, next to Brazil, and stretches across 2,070 miles. The Rio de la Plata is the largest river in Argentina, it carries twice as much as the Mississippi River, and has three main outlets in South America. The interior of Argentina was believed to have once been a vast inland sea, and formed from years of soil deposits by different rivers. The Tierra del Fuego, Land of Fire, belongs to Argentina, the name originates from the explorer Magellan who thought he was seeing the fires of Indians waiting to ambush him, while really the Yamana Indians were warding off    the cold temperatures known to that area.   __Political Structure __ Argentina's history is wrought with revolution after revolution, dictator after dictator; around the 20th century, they settled on a republic model on the US. The pluralistic democracy is made up of 23 provinces, modeled after the 50 states in the US, and a Federal District. The provinces are autonomous and the Federal District is administered by a Intendente/Mayor, who is appointed by the President. The Intendente is assisted by a municipal council that is elected by the people. The Legislative power is the National Congress which consists of the Senate and the Chambers of Deputies. Each province is allowed three Senators in the National Congress, the Senators of the National Congress are elected by the Senators of the province and are elected to a term of six years. The Deputies are elected by popular vote to half terms of two years and full terms of four years. The number of Deputies increases as the population increases, as of 1999 there were 257 Deputies in the National Congress. The President is elected by electors that were chosen by the people. The President is assisted by a Cabinent of eight offices that resemble the Cabinent offices in the US government, a surprising difference is that there is an Office dedicated to Worship in Argentina while no such office exists in the US government. Argentina first declared Independence from Spain on May 10, 1810 and fought for that Independence, which wasn't granted until many years later. In 1860 a constitution was written and put into effect, small changes have been added, since its ratification in 1860.

__History __ The Rio de la Plata was first discovered in 1508 by Juan de Solis, a Spanish captain. The area was seen as hostile and the first settlement was not made until an additional thirty years later, in 1536 by Pedro Mendoza, a " Freebooter <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">". The initial assessment of the area being hostile was correct and the settlement was soon destroyed by the Indians. The next settlement attempt was not made for another forty years. After the first disastrous attempt at colonizing Argentina the settlers were less forgiving to the Indians. As a result from wars with the settlers, famine induced by the settlers, and diseases brought by the settlers very few indigenous people are left in Argentina today. Less than 1% of the people living in Argentina define themselves as indigenous, or having significant indigenous ancestry. As a result immigration has been heavily supported by the government in an effort to help develop the country. Majority of the population consists of European immigrants. Official census reports for 2007 reports that 97% of the population is white, Spainards and Italians making up most of that group, and the Mestizo, African, and Indigenous groups made up the other 3% of the population.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The People __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">People native to Argentina refer to themselves as Portenos instead of Argentines. Another distinction Portenos make is between Buenos Aires and the rest of the country. A Porteno from Buenos Aires will speak of all areas outside of Buenos Aires as the Camp. The Camp is used as the rest of the world uses country. Buenos Aires does seem like another country from the rest of the area. Buenos Aires is the New York, Paris, and London of South America. While most of Argentina is dedicated to farming, Buenos Aires is very metropolitan with a great night life. It is the largest spanish speaking city, Buenos Aires is actually more than twice the size of <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Madrid <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Most immigrants come to Buenos Aires to work and live. A natural aristocracy developed in the twentieth century, the Italians and Spaniards were the laborers while the "pure" Castilians defined the upper crest. The indigenous people of course ranked below the laborers, and many lived on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, rather than in the city. Views in Argentina were more conservative than views in North America. The women of Argentina were described as being less "masculine" than the women of the US, but as times changed the Porteno women began to envy the freedoms of the "Yankee" women. Porteno women are seen to be more loving and devoted mothers, to both their sons and daughters. While the women are more feminine, the tension between the men is high during football, or soccer as it is called in the US, games. Football is a very popular sport and the fans are very dedicated. It seems through the sport that issues between the races has diminished. Fans in the US have been called rowdy and unsportsman like, but that does not compare to what is considered normal in Argentina. The referees of football games are run the risk of being injured every game. The members of the teams and refrees have to be escorted on and off the field by the police. The idea of sportsmanship is not as well followed in Argentina as it is in the US, things are thrown onto the field, players and referees are likely to be injured, during championships ambulances are waiting nearby, and police and escorts are always at hand. Perhaps because the games are so violent and intense, men are usually the spectators and few women attend games. Horse racing and polo are also very popular sports in Argentina. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The Language __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Argentina has been heavily influenced by Italians throughout its course of history. While most South American countries have contact languages between Spanish and an Indigenous language, Argentina had a contact language between Spanish and Italian. Another contact language found in Argentina is between Spanish and Portugese called Portunol, it is used on the border between Brazil and Argentina. Portunol is more commonly found in <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Uruguay <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">, then in Argentina. The contact language between Spanish and Italian was called Cocoliche. The language was used mostly by first generation immigrants that were learning Spanish. The contact language disappeared in the second and third generations and fell out of use in the 1950s. Many words used in Cocoliche were later transfered to Lunfardo. Lunfardo is a type of slang <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">that is very popular in Argentina, especially Buenos Aires. Many words that were used in Cocoliche are now used in Lunfardo. Lunfardo is thought to have originated as a criminal argot that became widespread. Videos about learning how to use Lunfardo can be found on the internet. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">media type="youtube" key="BZhgAQIECtQ" height="344" width="425" Another popular type of language used in Argentina is the word game Vesre (reves), it is very similar to the English word game Pig Latin. To use vesre the first syllable of the word is moved to the end of the word. Some examples of vesre: feca-cafe, broli-libro, jermu-mujer, and gomia-amigo. Not all of the words in vesre keep their meaning, in spanish hotel is hotel and the vesre word is telo, but it does not mean a typical hotel, it is considered a "love hotel". __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">References __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Demographics of Argentina. (2008). In //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Wikipedia //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Argentina <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Davis, Robert. Notes 6.1. 2008.  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(n.d.). //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Acongua Mountain Guides //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from Aventuras Patagonicas Mountain Guides: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://www.allaconcagua.com/ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Pampa. (2008). In //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Wikipedia //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Retrieved December 7, 2008, from <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pampa <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Tierra del Fuego. (2008). In //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Wikipedia //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tierra_del_Fuego <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Winter, N. D. (1914). //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Argentina and her People of To-day //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Boston: Colonial Press. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">