IS SPANISH WRITTEN AS IT IS SPOKEN?

 

Why do people insist that Spanish is written as it is spoken? Naturally, no language is written as it is spoken, but Spanish has this "good" reputation that lures many to study it. Fake linguistic news, naturally. From the written "dos mujeres" you may hear many different spoken versions. "Yo he hablado" might have many different spoken possibilities. The spoken language (the real language) varies according to the speaker´s country, region, education, and even I.Q. The written language will not vary, but will not reflect the speaker´s origin. And besides, let´s not forget that language does not make pauses between words: andaspeakerwillalwaysrattleonlikethis, whereas in writing we must separate words. The sentence "Roberto se va a cazar" might have different sounds that are condensed in the graphemes, which might confuse the listener. Give the matter some thought!

BRING TO FRUITION / LLEVAR A BUEN PUERTO

 

Llegar (llevar) a buen puerto Come (bring) to fruition

Las negociaciones finalmente llegaron a buen puerto The negociations finally came to fruition

--“…subrayaron las dificultades que entraña llevar a buen puerto este proyecto.” La Vanguardia, 27/02/1994. Esp.

Come (bring) to fruition Llegar a buen puerto, llegar (llevar) a buen término

The negociations finally came to fruition Las negociaciones finalmente llegaron a buen puerto

--“The next step of the backdoor approach is devising a strategy of thoughts you will employ to bring your goal to fruition.” Za Rimpoche, The Backdoor to Enlightment, 2008. US. 

PARALLEL IDIOMS

The definition I find for "get up (stand) on one´s hind legs" is to become angry and assertive, as in: “Campbell Coyle stands up on his hind legs and explains why it is not an act of rebellion to attempt to get rid of our infirmities by prayer.” Pacific Medical Journal, Vol. 38, 1895. US. || “When John was accused of betraying a family secret he reared up (on his hind legs) and denied it fiercely.” George Meyer, The Two-Word Verb, 1975. US. 

For "tirar (echar) las patas por alto" we find the definition: "dar rienda suelta al enfado que se siente gritando o en cualquier format violenta." As in: “Y han decidido echar las patas por alto y crear un caos de todos contra todos, para no quedar como los únicos malos de la película.” El Mundo, 15/01/1995. Esp.

Both refer to the action of a horse when excited or frightened. Both idioms have developed independently with the same origin and the same meaning.

LO MEJOR

Leo en Todo Literatura que Nada, de Carmen Laforet, es la mejor novela del siglo XX. Por otra parte, se dice que The Sea, the Sea, de Iris Murdoch, es la mejor novela en inglés del siglo XX.  

A mí, esto de "la (el, lo) mejor" siempre me ha dejado indiferente. "Aquí se come la mejor tortilla de patatas de España." "Las mejores paellas se hacen en Almansa." "El mejor poeta es fulanito"... y siempre me he preguntado cómo se llega a esa conclusión. ¿Quién decide que la tal tonadillera es la mejor del mundo? ¿Qué criterios se emplean? ¿Quién los emplea? Recuerdo que decían que Gina Lollobrigida era la mujer más guapa del mundo. No me han gustado esas expresiones hiperbólica que no dicen nada, excepto engañar. Es muy aventurado decir que algo es "lo mejor" porque eso de "lo mejor" es mucho decir. Exigimos seriedad a la ciencia, pero no a lo demás. No es serio decir que algo o alguien es lo mejor o el mejor, así por las buenas, sin rigor alguno. Dejemos de exagerar y seamos serios. Por lo menos nosotros.  y recordemos que lo mejor es enemigo de lo bueno.

DESERTS IN DICTIONARIES

You must have guessed by now that I am fond (enamored) of dictionaries. I find them riveting sources of information. I find in them answers to all my questions, even my ontological questions. The answers are there, ensconced in their pages, but we must learn how to find them, a task which is not always easy. For example, if we search the word "desert" (dézert) we will find  "a region so arid because of little rain..." The verb is "to desert" (dizért), "leave without intending to return"... and many other definitions. Is that all? No, because at the very end of the entry for "desert"... we find: "Often deserts, reward or punishment that is deserved: get one´s just deserts." And here we find, at the end of an entry, almost hidden, the meaning we were looking for, the exact equivalent for "el merecido, justo, castigo." David got his just deserts for taking the money", "David recibió su justo castigo por llevarse el dinero." Here deserts comes from deserves.

And we have solved a bilingual lexicographical problem.

THE WORTH OF A DICTIONARY

 

Years ago and in Telemadrid, Fernando Sánchez-Dragó, the Spanish journalist, novelist, tv personality, and thinker had an evening news program that tried, successfully, to be culturally a notch above competitors. One evening, he interviewed the then popular sociologist Amando de Miguel and, as it was his custom, Fernando presented his guest with a book. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was my Diccionario del argot, el Sohez. Amando de Miguel said: "Let me see if this word is in here" and proceeded to flip pages in search of "the word". My blood froze in my veins. I knew that if the word was not included, the dictionary would lose all its credibility in front of thousands of viewers. Luckily the word was in the dictionary and I sighed with relief. But I never forgave Amando de Miguel for that. I suspected that he was hoping the word, whatever it was, was missing from my pages. However large a dictionary is, if the word you are looking up is not included, the whole work is considered worthless. And all words cannot be included. 

IS SPANISH EASY?

Many in the US take up Spanish at universities because they believe it is "easy", whatever that may mean. Easy to get a good grade, I suppose. Those who seek an excellent grade effortlessly are in for a surprise at the end of the course. In reality, the word "easy" applied to languages doesn´t make any sense, and least of all to Spanish, which poses problems galore to the foreign learner. Spanish is difficult to pronounce and has complicated grammar and arbitrary syntax. The fact that it is spoken in 23 countries, with regional varieties within, doesn´t help. But do not be discouraged, there is no language in the world that doesn´t have complexities and oddities. Also, there is no language invented by man that cannot be learnt by man. So, give it it try.

FAULTFINDING

Being overly critical of others is one of the many signs of old age. Being critical of the way "youngsters" use language is my weak point. If language criticism were wine, I would be a raving alcoholic by now. I see errors, solecisms, and mishaps, everywhere. What is happening? Is it a lack of instruction? A lack of interest? An I-don´t-give-a-damn attitude people sport nowadays? It may be the idea that, as native speakers, they can trample on the language with impunity. Whatever. Their loss. As I have limited time, I will let them "learn" themselves and tender my garden with my friend Candide.  

GAYANGOS AND BURTON

In an article of mine, and apropos of the supposed lack of interest of Spaniards in language learning, I mentioned Hispanic polyglots like Juan Valera, Eduardo Benot, Ángel Ganivet, Unamuno... but somehow I forgot Don Pascual de Gayangos (1809-1890), the great Arabist, who made translations into English. Rereading Edward Rice's Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, I came across this: "One of the few fortuitous experiences of the year for Burton came when Dr. Greemhill introduced him to don Pascual de Gayangos, the Spanish Arabist." Sir Richard Burton spoke 29 languages, read them, and wrote in them. He became a famous Arabic translator, like Gayangos. A chance encounter of two linguists and Arabists.

LEARNING TWO LANGUAGES

I believe that with patience and time we can always find exact equivalents in meaning for idiomatic expressions. These phrases may differ in their word components but keep the same meaning. A good example are: "atarse (apretarse) los machos" and "batten down the hatches." 

María Moliner says about "apretarse los machos": "Prepararse para afrontar una situación difícil."

The Oxford dictionary explains about "batten down the hatches": "Prepare for a difficulty or crisis."

One has a nautical origin and the other a bullfighting one.  

UGLINESS AND LANGUAGE

For some strange reason, ugliness, homeliness, is nobody´s cup of tea. I don´t like this because many of us have to jump into the fray of life at a disadvantage. Those who have been favored by Nature have it made! And language reflects this negative attitude toward the ugly by supplying speakers with many tools to taunt them. English and Spanish have a wide range of possibilities to describe those who are not attractive:

UGLY

Ugly as sin (a toad, butt ugly, fuck, shit, cat shit, piss-ugly, pug ugly, hell, as it gets) Más feo que un pecado (Picio, Carracuca, el hambre, el bu, Quasimodo, que pegarle a un padre [con un calcetín sudado], feo del culo, feo con ganas, como él solo, el trasero de un mono) // Victor is ugly as a sin Víctor es más feo que un pecado  // “That new pharmacy is an assault to my eyes; it is everything the LPA is supposed to stop! It is a big box, ugly as sin itself, a monstrosity.” Bonita Daily News, FL - 11 Jul 2003. USA.

MAKING BILINGUAL DICTIONARIES

Putting a bilingual dictionary together is a fool´s errand, especially in a team of one (an oxymoron). I have been working on my Bilingual Phrasebook for well over three years, at a pace of 4 to 5 hours a day. My fear is that some expressions, and idioms, may be left out. Yesterday I asked Laura Carbonell, an expert teacher of both languages and the author of the Spanish Grammar Cheat-Sheet, to randomly think of an idiom in Spanish. She put forward "saltar al ruedo". It was not in the dictionary! Hard to believe, but it shows that lexicography is more of an art than a science. Of course, I am not done yet, and I still have a lot of revising and editing to do. 

RUEDO

Echarse (lanzarse, tirarse, saltar) al ruedo (a la palestra) Jump (step, move, leap, rush) into the fray

David ha saltado al ruedo de la política activa David has jumped into the fray of active politics

— “Felipe González ha saltado al ruedo con gran aparato eléctrico porque sabe que va perdiendo.” La Vanguardia, 15/11/1994. Esp.

  

ACADEMIC (VANITY) PUBLISHERS

I am again in pursuit of a Publisher and I know that they are not what they used to be. Before I reach out to them, I read their web page to make sure I am not sending a feeler into a den of thieves. Vanity presses disguise as bona fide enterprises to lure the writer or researcher. Today I perused W.W. Norton´s Web page and saw the number of useless titles they publish. Are they vanity? I read "If you wish to send a letter to an author, please send it to our offices... we will kindly forward it on." This reminds me of the dictum from the Bible: "If the blind lead the blind..." People in the publishing business who don´t know how to write (or is it rite, right?) or even edit. Suck on that! After this, I opened the University of Texas Press, and more of the same except it is piled higher and deeper. Vanity Press again? A certain Alberto Moreiras has been published there, a title that reads like this "Notes from an Ex-Latin Americanist." I am the first to admit that my English (and Spanish, for that matter) has a long way to go, but I find those words ill-put together. So, another academic publisher I must discard. Reading the titles these people publish, I am getting to think they have taken leave of their business senses.  

NO IMPORTAR VS NOT TO GIVE

 To express our indifference about what someone does, thinks, or wants, we use the expression "I don´t give..." and here we can add a variety of words like a hoot, two shakes, a damn, a darn, a fuck, a shit, a toss... instead of a simple "I don´t care." Why does language do that? To show different degrees of our indifference and reaction. There is a difference between "I don´t give a hoot" and "I don´t give a fuck." 

In Spanish for "no importar" we will add, for emphasis, "un rábano, pimiento, carajo, bledo, comino, ardite, cuerno, pepino, pito, una mierda, tres puñetas, tres cojones" There is a difference between "no me importa un pimiento" and "no me importa un carajo." 

All those tags add degrees of indifference, relationship with the speaker, emotional state, also variety, and glamour (?). 

Austin Williams has a YouTube channel on frugality, austerity, and simplicity. He speaks well, has a way with words, nice voice and I just plain like him. He spent two years in Ecuador teaching English and he manages to sprinkle a few words and sentences in Spanish in his talks. But, horrors and procrastination, he tries to imitate Equatorian street Spanish, to sound more authentic I presume, but the result is a disaster. Somehow -I ignore where this has come from- learners of languages try to mimic low-class, low-brow, uneducated Spanish and English believing this type of language is more "authentic" and "real." If Williams ever tried to land a job using this kind of language, he would not get it, unless he was applying for a dog catcher position in New York City. So, please, try to sound literate and educated in any language because you will be better understood and win more friends.
Do not say in Spanish: 

Na, pa, haiga, amos, sausté, m´ha dicho, bailemos, ca... and many others. 

LANGUAGE AND FOSSILS

A fossil is "any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing of a former geologic age, as a skeleton, footprint, etc." Language does not have fossils predating writing, prior to over 5000 years ago. We don´t know how language was invented by man, or how it has been evolving ever since. It does not escape evolution and is ever-changing, at a very swift pace. All languages spoken today have evolved from the original sounds to which meanings were attached without any missing links. We have no clues, no fossils, to show us this evolution prior to the invention of writing. 5000 years in the history of man are nothing, a flash in the pan. Beware of theories about language evolution. They all have something in common because they were invented by man.