SPEAKING IN CHRISTIAN

 

In medieval Spain, where three distinct cultures coexisted in relative harmony, Castilian-speaking Spaniards coined the phrase "hablar en cristiano," meaning in a comprehensible language for them. Hebrew and Arabic were alien languages to those who spoke only Spanish. Old idiomatic expressions die hard, and "hablar en cristiano" is still used today to mean speaking in plain and simple language. "Por favor, hábleme en cristiano para que le entienda" could be translated as "Please, speak in plain language so that I can understand you." I have gathered a few citations:

— “¡Hablar en cristiano!, la única lengua que se puede entender…” Jesús Alviz Arroyo, Un solo son en la danza, 1982. Esp. || “Habla en cristiano, quieres, Víctor.” Santiago Moncada, Caprichos, 1992. Esp. || “O dicho en cristiano, para que ustedes lo entiendan…” El País, 31/08/1977. Esp.