POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS AT WAR WITH THE BODY OF SPANISH

 

Each language has its own established channels for adapting to the needs and changes of society. However, strange forces are steering languages toward manners of expression that are alien to them. Technology and mass media are influencing language like never before. Social media allow anybody to say whatever they feel like, in whatever manner they choose to express themselves, whether they are intellectually prepared or not.

For example, the possessive pronoun in Spanish is not used when we talk about the human body. Spanish does not say “voy a teñir mi pelo” but “voy a teñirme el pelo.” “Me duele la rodilla” is the proper way to express “my knee hurts.” Yesterday, however, on Spanish television, I watched a series of commercials in which this rule was broken again and again. I heard expressions such as “¿Has notado que tu pelo no brilla?” and “Nuestro pelo ya no es lo que era.”

The possessive pronouns were used against the very essence of the Spanish language. It sounds odd and unnatural, but these commercials will eventually force their linguistic errors onto the language. May I ask you to remember to say in Spanish: “Me he cortado el pelo; me he torcido el tobillo; tengo algo en el ojo; Federico tiene la cabeza grande; la mano derecha me pica.”