196 CultureShock! Chile
Chilean Spanish
The terms español and castellano are equivalents in describing
the language of Chile, but castellano is used more frequently. It
does not refer to any language specific to the Castile region of
Spain (near Toledo), as the name implies, rather it is a derivation
of the word for the Spanish language that pays homage to the
historic importance of the kingdom of Castile in the formation
of the modern Spanish state. So don’t worry that you may
learn some deviant type of Spanish in Chile. Throughout South
America, castellano is the word used for Spanish. Español is
more common in Central and North America.Pronunciation
Regional differences in the language of the Chilean
people are remarkably slight, despite the country’s varied
geography and great length. Chilean Spanish is generally
the same from north to south, a result of the fact that the
Spaniards settled in a small area in the centre of the country
and migrated slowly and in small numbers to the north and