SPANISH POLITICIANS AND THEIR LANGUAGE

 

Language is not about a prescriptive or descriptive approach to it. It goes far beyond that. If descriptive grammar simply tells you about it, the prescriptive approach judges it. I am not taking sides when I point out grammar, syntax, vocabulary, or phonetics errors. Deep down, I could not care less. But language is all about communication, not about being right or wrong. It deals with how to convey ideas briefly, clearly, and easily.  Transgressions against the established rules usually create confusion and misunderstandings. 

As an example, of late I have been listening to Spanish politicians mishandling their language and creating havoc in the minds of the average citizen. Listening to them, it is clear they are educationally half-baked, tending to use bizarre syntax, making up strange neologisms, misquoting proverbs, and changing ready-made idiomatic expressions in a helter-skelter way. No wonder Spain is in a state of educational, intellectual, and emotional turmoil. 

Language is mankind´s primary tool, the basic tool, and the foundation of everything. In language and communication, we can quote Thoreau who told us: "Simplify, simplify!" Cut to the chase and forget the rest of the chaff. 

FORMAL VS INFORMAL LANGUAGE

 

The Internet is chockfull of well-meaning people -I would like to think-, mostly natives, who insist on telling readers what in English or Spanish is "informal" or "formal". They disregard the complexities of language, society, and culture. But these self-appointed, latter-day language gurus love to pontificate about what they consider appropriate. "If you want to sound more like a native, don´t say how are you, say hija." To pass off as a native speaker, don´t say, mister Smith , say, Mac, or you." They insist that using "madam" when addressing a woman is old fashioned and stilted. According to them, the word "sir" came into disuse decades ago, and nowadays "I´m good" has definitely replaced "I am well." Again, it is all a question of age, education mores, context, and social standing. This a thin line that foreign students cannot tread without perhaps falling into the abyss of bad manners and thus rejection. So, please, beware of those who tell you: "Don´t say this, say this." Stop, consider, and do some research.  

GIVE A LEG UP - TRATO DE FAVOR

"Give a leg up" Google translates into Spanish as "dar una pierna arriba" which is a good word-for-word translation but off the mark. WordReference gives us "levantar, aupar, dar ventaja" which come closer but still off the mark again, considering that the definition is: "To give someone an advantage over others" which brings to mind the Spanish equivalent of "dar trato de favor, trato discriminatorio a favor de alguien." 

Collins, always on cloud nine, says it is "a preferential treatment." 

— “Quieren saber si la Junta de Castilla y León dio trato de favor a la Caja Rural de Zamora.” El Mundo, 24/08/1994. Esp.

— “Wesleyan University… is ending legacy admissions, which give a leg up to the children of alumni.” New York Times, July 19, 2023. US.

Why point this out? Just to make students of either language aware of how dictionaries treat phraseology. In my dictionary I am attempting to remedy this problem.    

The /th/ sound in English and Spanish.

A self-appointed phonetician on Instagram, a few weeks ago,  endeavored to teach Spanish speakers the sound of /th/ as in think, thigh, or thwart. He pointed out that this sound does not exist in Spanish. The phonetician, obviously, does not differentiate casar and cazar, serrar and cerrar, coser and cocer. I do, along with many others. My point is that when comparing languages, we must be true to the two of them. The sound of /th/ in think does exist in Spanish in cazar. True enough that the point of articulation is a bit different: the English sound is interdental and the Spanish sound is dental. And here, once again, I must paraphrase Ortega y Gasset: The horizon of our language is not the horizon of language. And once again I must warn you: beware of unqualified native speakers pontificating on the language they speak. 

WHAT ABOUT POLITICALLY INCORRECT PHRASEOLOGY?

As society and language change, in the nests of yesteryear there are no birds this year, as Don Quijote told us. And, horrors, now we find ourselves loaded with plenty of phraseology, in English and Spanish, that we can no longer use due to the changes in the outlook society has on certain subjects which were ok in the past but have become, willy-nilly, taboo as of now. Take, for instance, "a Chinese fire drill", a taboo expression that could offend Asians. In Spanish, people of color could also find offense in "merienda de negros", not to mention "tener la negra" which, although not a racial slur, could be misunderstood. Expressions like "I love the movies more than a fat kid likes cake" would not be appropriate today, just as "le gusta leer más que a un tonto un lápiz", which refers to "tontos", like "el tonto del pueblo" or village idiot. And I understand that "to call a spade a spade" is looked down upon in many circles in the States. I guess that "work like a slave" might be a no-no in this day and age, and its Spanish equivalent "trabajar como un chino (negro)" is also frowned upon.  It is clear there is a need to be mindful of our language choices and the impact they can have on others. So, don´t tell people in Spanish "que están haciendo el indio", or goofing off.

MILAN KUNDERA

I have read only one title by Milan Kundera (1929-2023), in Spanish. I have heard a lot about him but he never excited my curiosity much. Don´t ask me why. He has just passed away and although his literary figure has been mentioned, not much ink has been spilt over his literary production. He wrote in Czech until he moved to France in 1975 and immersed himself in the language and culture of his adopted country, to the point of switching languages.  La lenteur, Slowness, was his first French-language work, published in 1995, at the age of 66. This may sort of prove that it´s never too late to master a language and master it to the point of being able to write it well. Kundera wanted to be considered a French-language writer. He joins the club made up of Conrad, Nabokov, Koestler, Sabatini, and so many others, who chose the language they wanted to write in.    

A LEXICOGRAPHER´S JOURNEY: CREATING A BILINGUAL PHRASEOLOGICAL DICTIONARY

 

In composing my bilingual phraseological dictionary, I often find my resolution and firmness of purpose faltering. After over four years of daily toiling, even in poor health and while dealing with technical issues and hospital visits, I sometimes conclude that I am wasting my time. But as a dedicated lexicographer, I approach my trade with utmost seriousness, meticulously checking and double-checking every idiom I encounter.

 A bilingual dictionary must offer exact equivalents in both languages, and paraphrasing is not acceptable. A case in point today has led me to compare two phrases, in English and Spanish, that are never seen together in bilingual dictionaries: "A (según) mi leal saber y entender" and "according to my lights." In both cases, we suggest that there´s the possibility of our being mistaken in our acts or opinions. Both phrases convey the idea that there´s a recognition of the potential for error in our actions or opinions.  Examples in both languages:

-"I did what I understood to be my duty, according to my lights."

-"She said that she did her best according to her lights."

-"He escrito el informe según mi leal saber y entender."

-"Ha actuado, dice, según su leal saber y entender."

LIGERO

 

A la ligera Lightly, rashly

No hago cumplidos a la ligera I don´t make compliments lightly

— “… los sucesos se tratan un poco a la ligera.” La Vanguardia, 31/08/1994. Esp.

Ligero de cascos Feather-brained, empty-headed

Jack es un chico ligero de cascos Jack is a feather-brained kid

— “… un buen presidente, aunque algo ligero de cascos.” El País, 28/01/1998. Esp.

Ligero de manos Light-fingered

Cuidado con Pedro que es muy ligero de manos Careful with Peter because he is light-fingered

Ligero de piernas Light-footed

Juan es muy ligero de piernas John is very light-footed

Ligero de ropa Scantily clad (lightly dressed)

Victoria siempre va muy ligera de ropa Victoria is always scantily clad

— “¿Viaja siempre tan ligera de ropa o sólo se debe al calor de Siria?” Terenxi Moix, No me digas que fue un sueño, 1986. Esp.

LIBRAR

 

¡Dios me (nos) libre! (líbreme Dios) Heaven forbid

Dios me libre de perder el empleo Heaven forbid losing my job

— “¡Dios me libre de inventar cosas cuando estoy cantando!” Fernando Birri, Por un nuevo cine latinoamericano, 1996. Arg.

Librar Have (take) a day off

Paco no está en la oficina. Hoy libra Frank is not in the office. It´s his day off

Librar batalla Do (wage, fight) battle

Napoleón libro batalla contra Wellington y perdió Napoleon waged battle against Wellington and lost

Librarse de Get rid of

Me he librado de Juan I got rid of John

— “… en nada nos beneficia habernos librado de esa dependencia.” EXcelsio, 18/01/1997. Méx.

Librar a uno de Deliver from

Y líbranos del mal. Amen And deliver us from evil. Amen

Librarse de (una) buena Have a close call, get off easy, get off scot-free

Nos hemos librado de una buena That was a close call

— “Si el Ínter se libró de una buena fue por su propio instinto de supervivencia.” ABC Electrónico, 26/08/1997. Esp.

Salir mal (bien) librado (parado) Come out badly (well)

Creo que salieron mal librados de la pelea I think they came out badly from the fight

— “El PSC, contra los pronósticos más pesimistas de las encuestas, no ha salido tan mal parado.” El Mundo, 20/11/1995. Esp.

SPANISH AND CASTILIAN

Today I was listening to this actress married into the British Royal family, explain that she lived for a while in Argentina, where they speak a Spanish dialect called "castellano." That made me think of Alexander Pope ("A little learning is a dangerous thing") and prompted me to check "Castilian" in dictionaries. Random House explains: "1. The dialect of Spanish spoken in Castile. 2. The official standard form of the Spanish language as spoken in Spain, based on this dialect." Wrong on both counts. "Castellano", and "español" referring to the language, are interchangeable in the Spanish-speaking world. I prefer "castellano" because it is more neutral as it refers to a country long disappeared. Also because it is one of the 5 languages spoken in Spain.     

PERICO Y GEORGE

 

¿Qué tienen en común los nombres Perico en castellano y George en inglés? Más de lo que pensamos. El diminutivo Perico, de Pedro, tiene apellido: "el de los palotes." Ambos nombre han dado pie a dos modismos o dichos: "que lo haga Perico el de los palotes" y "let George do it" con el mismo significado de que lo haga otra persona. "Yo me niego a pintar la casa, que la pinte Perico de los palotes." "I refuse to paint the house, let George do it." Esta fraseología es importante y demuestra nuestros conocimientos de ambos idiomas. 

HEADACHES AND SPEAKING LANGUAGES

Chloe, my eldest granddaughter, who lives and works in Lake Tahoe, USA, told me this afternoon that she has been practicing Spanish a lot these days, to the point that she even dreams in Spanish. Why? A friend of hers from Spain has come to visit. His English is very good, it seems, but he has been getting headaches due to having to speak English all the time, and he prefers to switch languages to rest. There´s more to this than meets the eye. It is true that speaking a foreign language, no matter how fluent you are, is very stressful intellectually, psychologically, and even physically. It can bring about headaches, as in the case of the visitor. It could point to the level of proficiency one has: if one is able to speak the second language for hours without getting a splitting headache, then it has been mastered. Do you get a headache when you speak Spanish for hours?

SAM DAN, A TRIBUTE

Of late, I have fallen into the habit of listening to the radio, late in the day, in bed, in the dark of my room. And I have become addicted to the CBS Mystery Radio Programs of old. Most of them are hosted by the actor E.G. Marshall (look him up) and mostly written by Sam Dan (1918-2004), a scriptwriter and novelist, and professor at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. I listen attentively to the plot, the dialog, the presentation... and every time I close my eyes in awe at these small gems of art, of writing at its best. I urge all those trying to master the English language, to listen to these radio cameos. You will be instructed, entertained, and will hear good educated English at the same time. This is a small tribute to Sam Dan, a true writer and master of the technique of short writing.