For a native speaker of English, the exact pronunciation by a native speaker of Spanish of any of the words in the list below is almost impossible to hear (Table 1). The inability to hear is not a matter of exposure to the language. Consider the recent discovery of an English speaker of Spanish who has lived most of his life in Mexico (see insert).

This report is in a series on the linguistic interface between Mexico and the English-speaking oil, power and chemical industries. The report identifies elements of the accent in Spanish of the native English speaker (and weighted in Fig. 1).

The discussion in this report is meant primarily for the benefit of the native speaker of English; there are also benefits for Spanish speakers.