"Ll" pronunciation issue

Hi all!
This has been driving me a bit nuts with every Spanish program I use.  

In the beginning, when being instructed on how to pronounce the double L (llaves, llorar, cepillo, pollo, ect.) I have been taught that it is pronounced like the English "y" except Argentina and Uruguay, where it has a soft "sho" sound.
And then others say it is pronounced more like a soft English "J" - - -

Is there any kind of guideline to follow here, besides the Argentina one?  The pronunciations in the lessons are different all the time, (again, in many other programs besides Rocket, ) and it just seems so random.  Speakers choice, maybe?

I know it is a picky thing to focus on, but it has really been bugging me.  

At this point, I do not know the correct pronunciation of my own last name, Jaramillo, lol!

Ayudame!  :D

Thanks guys, have a good week.
Kel
 

Hola Kelly,

The link below might be helpful. I use the "J" sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om0oAwIJexs

Saludos,

Ricardo

Ricardo - 

¡Perfecto, muchas gracias!

This is really helpful.  I like Butterfly Spanish and the instructor, I have only recently discovered it and am so glad she has a whole session on this particular issue.

Thanks so much for taking the time. 

Saludos!

Gracias Ricardo and Kelly.  Great question and answer.  This Butterfly Spanish Youtube series looks really helpful.

 

Hi David,

Yes, Butterfly Spanish is a great channel to mix it up a bit.
 I have a tendency to obsessively go over material that I didn't quite "get" and realize too late that I am teetering on burnout. So if I want to have some Spanish but need a little break from Rocket because I have beaten the poor program to death, I cruise YouTube, and Butterfly Spanish was a great find. 

Hola amigos,

Kelly y David, another great resource: http://www.lightspeedspanish.co.uk/  Highly informative,  and very well presented often with great humor. There are also a number of their   videos available on You Tube.

Saludos,
Ricardo
 

Gracias ricardo

Hola Ricardo,

Thank you, this is awesome - I have never seen this site before and it looks great.  Always a boost to find a brand new learning site to supplement Rocket.  Double thumbs up for having humor! :D


 

Hola,

De nada amigos. ¡Esto es muy chistoso! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pil4tCAtjo8

Saludos,

Ricardo

Ricardo!!!

This. Was. Awesome.

Me reí tanto que realmente estaba llorando.  

On a side note, having a name that starts with "J" is quite interesting when traveling to Spanish speaking countries.  It is the rare Spanish speaker that can say "Jeffrey."  In fact it's so difficult for some people that they can't even say the rest of the word, being completely hung up on the first sound.  On the other hand, those that do say my name often begin with a "Y" or "Ch" sound.

​I'm sure that my pronunciation of certain letters such as "LL" are just a entertaining for them as there attempts at an English "J" are to me.

Hola, the He-fay! :)

It is a Spanish surname, as you probably know - and my Spanish skype friends use the "h" sound (normal).....but I am guessing they do fine with "Jaramillo" because it is fairly common there. NO one has ever tried "ch"  

But I admit, I started saying your name with the 'h' and 'ch' ....and then I started saying my last name with the "ch" and the "sho" and my name wound up sounding like some type of sausage, jajaja





 

LOL  :D