Alveopalatal Fricative of Argentinian Spanish

Argentinian Spanish is famous for the alveopalatal fricative. This sound is common in Buenos Aires and surrounding areas. In the rest of the country, the voiced palatal glide is used.

The alveopalatal fricative can be voiced or voiceless. It corresponds to the s of sugar and the s of treasure. The following words are pronounced with the alveopalatal fricative by many speakers from Argentina:

arroyo (creek)
ayer (yesterday)
caballo (horse)
lluvia (rain)
playa (beach)
pollo (chicken)
silla (chair)
toalla (towel)
yate (yacht)
yo (I)

The alveopalatal fricative is used not only in Argentina but also in Uruguay. Though both the voiced and voiceless fricatives are used, most speakers use the voiceless. The alveopalatal fricative isn't used in other varieties of Spanish.