<P> Argentina is predominantly a Spanish - speaking country--the fourth largest after Mexico, Spain, and Colombia (according to a compilation of national census figures and United Nations estimates, see List of countries with Spanish - speaking populations). Based on the 2010 national census and supporting research, there are about 40.9 million Spanish speakers in Argentina (almost the entire population). </P> <P> Argentina is one of several Spanish - speaking countries (along with Uruguay, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica) that almost universally use what is known as voseo--the use of the pronoun vos instead of tú (the familiar "you") as well as its corresponding verb forms . The most prevalent dialect is Rioplatense, whose speakers are located primarily in the basin of the Río de la Plata . </P> <P> A phonetic study conducted by the Laboratory for Sensory Investigations of (CONICET) and the University of Toronto showed that the intonation Porteño Spanish is unlike that of other Spanish varieties, and suggested that it may be a result of convergence with Italian . Italian immigration influenced Lunfardo, the slang spoken in the Río de la Plata region, permeating the vernacular vocabulary of other regions as well . </P> <P> As in other large countries, the accents vary depending on geographical location . Extreme differences in pronunciation can be heard within Argentina . One notable pronunciation difference found in Argentina is the "sh" sounding y and ll . In most Spanish speaking countries the letters y and ll are pronounced somewhat like the "y" in yo - yo, however in most parts of Argentina they are pronounced like "sh" in English (such as "shoe") or like "zh" (such as the sound the <s> makes in "measure"). </P>

What type of spanish is spoken in argentina