LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

  Las palabras que comienzan con wh : what, when, where, white, which, whet, while , etc. se pueden pronunciar aspirando la h o no aspirándola. Se aspira en los Estados Unidos, Escocia, Irlanda y el Canadá. Así podemos pronunciar where , como “uéar”, o “juéar”. Si aspiramos la h podemos diferenciar witch de which ; whet de wet ; whether de weather , por ejemplo. En Inglaterra no se aspira, especialmente en el inglés llamado culto. Alfred Holt esplicaba: “The traditional British inability, or unwillingness, to make any distinction in sound between wet and whet …” 

  Our external appearance often conceals our inner woes because we do not wish to share our troubles with others because of respect. We keep our woes to ourselves or spare people our inner drama. Spanish has a very descriptive idiom for that feeling: "La procesión va por dentro." Religious processions or parades are stern, gloomy, and sad, after all, they normally occur during Holy Week. "I may look good and happy but... I am keeping my troubles to myself and not sharing them." "Puede que tenga buen aspecto y parezca feliz, pero la procesión va por dentro." Below is my entry PROCESIÓN in my Phraseological Dictionary: Ir la procesión por dentro Spare people one’s inner drama (troubles), keep one’s woes to oneself, grin and bear it, take it in stride, take it on the chin Pongo a mal tiempo buena cara, pero la procesión va por dentro I put a good face on a bad business but I spare people my inner drama — “Parece ser muy controlada, cuando dice que es ...

My article on bilingual phraseology, English-Spanish, is out, published by the Revista de la Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, no. 284. Please copy and paste:  Revista de la UADY https://www.revistauniversitaria.uady.mx/ru284.php Thank you. Hope you like it.

Today, I reflected on the intriguing disparity among my students when it comes to mastering languages. Some seem naturally gifted, while others struggle despite their best efforts. This phenomenon extends beyond language learning, resonating across many aspects of life. Matthew 22:14, "For many are called, but few are chosen,"  ( muchos son los llamados y pocos los elegidos ) offers a poignant lens through which to view this reality. This truth can serve as both a challenge and a comfort for those who pursue the path of language mastery, sometimes finding meager results despite their dedication. Why do some excel while others falter under seemingly similar conditions? This remains a mystery to me.  Life, as we know, is not always fair. I have devoted my life to mastering two languages, Spanish and English, while others, often younger, boast fluency in seven or more. Yet, I harbor no regrets. The journey has been deeply enriching, and I remain committed to achieving fluency, t...

  Like English ( I am writing ), Spanish has the progressive form ( estoy escribiendo ). In both languages, a distinction exists between the present simple and the present progressive: I eat bananas vs. I am eating bananas , or, in Spanish, como plátanos vs. estoy comiendo plátanos . However, English tends to use the progressive form more frequently, sometimes compensating for its lack of distinct inflected verb forms compared to Spanish. There are many nuances in the usage of the progressive form in both languages. When we chance upon a friend on the street we might ask her: "Where are you going?" and never "Where do you go?" In Castillian the reverse is true: we would never ask: "¿Dónde estás yendo?" but instead we will inquire: "¿Dónde vas?". And the answer is: "Voy al cine" and never "Estoy yendo al cine." I am no grammarian but upon consulting La Nueva gramática de la lengua española I find no answer as to whether I can...

  Perfect , perfecto es lo que es imposible de mejorar, impossible to improve , por lo tanto nada puede ser more perfect que otra cosa que ya es perfect. Sin embargo la gente insiste en este error en los dos idiomas. “…a clear, beautiful blue sky day that God couldn’t have made more perfect .” Terre Haute Tribune Star - ‎Oct 17, 2010‎. “…el más perfecto de todos los animales soy yo…” Camilo José Cela, Cristo versus Arizona , 1988.