'll' is not equivalent to 'y' in standard Spanish, although the confusion exists in some zones (not in Asturias, from where Villa is) and it's a decent approximation for a non-native speaker.
As opposed to nearby romances, Spanish never distinguished between 'b' and 'v'. This is probably a Basque influence. There was a Roman pun[1] on these lines that said "beati Hispani quibus vivere bibere est" (blessed are the Spaniards, for whom to live [vivere] is to drink [bibere]).
By the way, this joke was played on Aquitanians, who occupied land mostly outside of the peninsula (nowadays southwest of France). This links with other thread on the historical fluidity of the concept of 'Hispania.'
Whoever differentiates between b and v speaking Spanish nowadays is either:
- a native Catalan speaker,
- trying to appear more upper-class through imitation of the French, a fashion that started in the Illustration times, or
Check that link, especially post #7 -- the pun is Renaissance era, not Roman.
Can you shed more light on 'll' vs 'y'? In Mexico, at least, the two are similar enough that handmade signs frequently contain spelling errors confusing the two.
You know, Argentinians also speak Castilian, and the way they pronounce the -ll- is completely different from everyone else. Hence, bringing up Mexico to prove that Spanish pronounce -ll- and -y- the same way is a very weak form of argumentation. Euccastro seems to know what he's talking about, so shame on whoever downvoted him.
As opposed to nearby romances, Spanish never distinguished between 'b' and 'v'. This is probably a Basque influence. There was a Roman pun[1] on these lines that said "beati Hispani quibus vivere bibere est" (blessed are the Spaniards, for whom to live [vivere] is to drink [bibere]).
By the way, this joke was played on Aquitanians, who occupied land mostly outside of the peninsula (nowadays southwest of France). This links with other thread on the historical fluidity of the concept of 'Hispania.'
Whoever differentiates between b and v speaking Spanish nowadays is either:
- a native Catalan speaker,
- trying to appear more upper-class through imitation of the French, a fashion that started in the Illustration times, or
- a descendant of one of the above.
[1] http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=997178