LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

  Juan Antonio de Zunzunegui: notario imprescindible de la España franquista Sobre la novelística de Juan Antonio de Zunzunegui (1901-1982) escribí mi tesis doctoral en los años 1963-64 , bajo la dirección de Joaquín de Entrambasaguas . Obtuve la calificación de sobresaliente , pero, más allá del valor académico, aquella investigación me abrió una ventana privilegiada a la España de la posguerra y la larga dictadura, a la que Zunzunegui sobrevivió. Quien quiera entender la atmósfera social, moral y política del régimen de Franco debe leer a Zunzunegui. Sus novelas -a veces ásperas, otras llenas de ternura, siempre veraces- registran lo que la historia oficial callaba. Zunzunegui observó y reprodujo con precisión las miserias y grandezas de la vida cotidiana y supo dar voz a una España que sobrevivía entre las sombras. Muchos ahora hablan del franquismo sin haberlo vivido; Zunzunegui lo noveló casi como notario.  Algún día escribiré aquí sobre nuestras pequeñas tertulias, en...

Some people on social media insist on challenging readers bilinguistically, telling them that certain words in Spanish or English do not exist in the other language. One such word is "apetecer" which dictionaries translate as feel like, craving, or even how about.  ¿Te apetece una pizza esta noche? / Lo siento pero no me apetece dar un paseo largo hoy. / ¿Seguro que te apetece? Segurísimo. Would that mean that the exact feeling or idea does not exist in the other language? Certainly not. The richness of our two languages is out there to be explored and studied. If we make the effort. The words may differ; the human experience does not. In English, we can translate the above three Spanish sentences: Ar e you up for a  for pizza tonight?  / Sorry, I am not up for a long walk today.    /  Are you sure you are up for it? Absolutely.   In a nutshell:  Be up for something = Apetecer and, of course, feel like and how about. 

The cruelty of human nature is well known. The cruelty directed at people with physical disabilities has a long and ugly history. Today, we congratulate ourselves on showing a certain degree of humanity in the way we refer to someone who limps or is missing a leg. Spanish has a particularly rich, and sometimes brutal, repertoire of colloquial expressions for such people. The following are examples: Patapalo Patachula Cojo Cojitranca Pataescombro Cojo de mierda Patituerto Patamula Today, euphemisms and more respectful expressions are increasingly the norm: persona con discapacidad motriz, persona con movilidad reducida, persona con cojera . We are now expected to say that David tiene movilidad reducida rather than call David a patachula or a cojitranca . Language changes, and so do our ideas of what is acceptable. Whether this change reflects greater humanity, greater sensitivity, or simply a different set of social conventions is another question.

I have made it a habit to watch the Princess of Asturias Awards on television every year, straight from Oviedo, Asturias. I enjoy the pomp and ceremony, the Asturian bagpipes, the Royal Family, the fanfare, and listening to the speeches delivered by some of the awardees. I also appreciate the fact that people’s efforts in the humanities, science, sports, and other fields, as well as the work of certain institutions, are recognised, publicised, and discussed in the media. And I am all for indulging another of my habits: learning, discovering new people and institutions, and finding out about the progress they are making. Yesterday, I discovered Patti Smith, the singer and writer. Imagine that, at this stage of my life! Timothy Garton Ash was also new to me, and I intend to read his work. His speech made me want to do so, which is surely one of the best things a speaker can achieve. Julian Barnes was not exactly brilliant in his short speech but, truth be told, I was listening to the dub...

 These days I am irritable and touchy. I feel like everyone is trying to push my buttons to see which way I'll jump. And I jump sky-high, lose my cool, and watch my blood pressure rocket up. As I live in Spain, what people are doing to me would be called hacer rabiar or buscarle las cosquillas . Of course, English has plenty of ways to describe people who are easy to provoke, and I am apparently one of them. I turn vicious when someone pushes my buttons. Whatever the case, learn this idiom and try not to rise to the bait.

 Hay expresiones que nacen en los tribunales y terminan en la calle, donde adquieren una vida mucho más amplia que la que les dieron los legisladores. Con premeditación y alevosía es una de ellas. En el uso corriente, viene a significar que algo se hace con malas artes, con intención deliberada y sin dar al otro la menor oportunidad de defenderse. No es poca cosa. El artículo 22 del Código Penal español, aprobado por la Ley Orgánica 10/1995, define la alevosía en estos términos: «Hay alevosía cuando el culpable comete cualquiera de los delitos contra las personas empleando en la ejecución medios, modos o formas que tiendan directa o especialmente a asegurarla, sin el riesgo que para su persona pudiera proceder de la defensa por parte del ofendido». Una definición que, dicho sea de paso, no se distingue precisamente por su ligereza. La premeditación, que figuraba en textos legales anteriores, desapareció como circunstancia agravante autónoma del Código Penal de 1995. La alevosía, s...