road signs | las señales de tráfico [Spanish Learning - Male Voice]

To pronounce "las señales de tráfico" (which means "the traffic signs" in Spanish) using English phonetic spelling, break it down like this: "lahs sen-YAH-lehs deh TRAH-fee-koh" Here is a quick syllable guide to get the accent right: las: sounds like "lahs" (with a soft 'a' like in "father") señales: sounds like "sen-YAH-lehs" (the 'ñ' makes a "ny" sound like the middle of "onion") de: sounds like "deh" (similar to the "de" in "decapitate" or a short "day") tráfico: sounds like "TRAH-fee-koh" (put the emphasis on the first syllable "TRAH") --- History of the Words The phrase is built from four distinct linguistic histories that trace back to Latin and ancient roots. 1. Las This is the feminine plural definite article ("the"). It comes directly from the Latin accusative plural *illas*, which was a demonstrative pronoun meaning "those." Over centuries, Spanish speakers dropped the first syllable, leaving just *las*. 2. Señales This comes from the Latin word signalis*, which meant "pertaining to a sign," derived from *signum (a mark, token, or sign). In Old Spanish, this evolved into *señal*. The "ñ" character itself was actually invented by Spanish scribes as a shorthand way to write two 'n' sounds side-by-side (*nn*), which eventually came to represent the unique "ny" sound you hear in *señales*. 3. De A simple preposition meaning "of" or "from." It comes directly from the Latin preposition *de*, which carried the exact same meanings of separation, origin, and association. 4. Tráfico This word has a fascinating, winding history. It entered Spanish from the Italian word traffico (and the verb *trafficare*). The ultimate origin of the Italian word is highly debated among linguists, but the leading theory is that it comes from the Vulgar Latin word *transfricare*, meaning "to rub across" or "to friction back and forth," which originally described the busy back-and-forth motion of trade and commerce. Over time, the meaning shifted from maritime trade, to the movement of goods, and finally to the movement of vehicles on a road.