yes, I just asked our Paraguayan exchange student and he confirmed that.

Hahahaha PADM .. I live with un Peruano , but I know that My Argentinian friends have told me about that problem ! Actually a friend from the USA ( speaks Spanish ) was in Argentina and took his friend´s kids to an amusement park . The kids were away , playing in the water and he was enjoying a drink with their parents . He said ( in castellano ) I´m going to "coger" the children . Jajajajajajajaja . That is the moment he learn´t the difference !

Speaking of "coger", when I was living in Argentina I often put my foot in my mouth with that word. My friends/colleagues got used to it, coming out of my mouth with a Spanish accent. They hear it all the time in movies, and from Spanish tv shows, so they are not unaware of its use in Spain. But, the first time they heard it from me, they were certainly startled. I never could get used to not using that word though. I would often say that I was going to "coger un taxi"...I think it is different than "tomar un taxi", which is what they would often say.

I gave a impromptu exposition of the differences of our Spanish language to a group of French in Paris who was learning the language. I put an excel spreadsheet with column from left to right. The first was what was the word in French, then chose Spain plus five other LA countries, Cuba,Argentina,Colombia,Costa Rica,and Mexico. Needless to tell you they were startled and confused, like do I need to learn the language again???
Yes I know from doing business in LA for several years and traveling there often, what one considers Spanish is indeed a rich and diverse language, more so than many others if not all.

PADM - I have quite a few Latin American (mostly Mexican) friends and co-workers here in Minnesota, and I STILL can't get out of the habit of using coger. They love to tease me when I ask them if they want me to pick them up on the way to a movie, or a party...