LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

In the Preface to my A Dictionary of Proverbs, English and Spanish (Serbal, 1996, Barron's Educational, 1998), I wrote that "They (proverbs) form an important part of the oral background of the English and Spanish peoples. Without a knowledge of proverbs and sayings, a deep understanding of their language and culture will always be incomplete." One reviewer stated that I was wrong and that proverbs are not necessarily important in language. 30 years later, I can repeat what I wrote then and further state that they are an essential part of language phraseology and lore. I am speaking of attaining a proficient command of language. Let me urge you to acquire as many as you possibly can in both languages. For example: al buen callar llaman Sancho (santo) Silence is golden; speech is silver, silence is gold(en) — “… byen se le devyera menbrar que a buen callar llaman Sancho.” Alfonso Martínez de Toledo, Arcipreste de Talavera (Corbacho) , 1438 . España. || “… mi secreto p...

  Of late I have come to reconsider my standards for bilingualism which probably are unrealistic and far-fetched. After all, the brain is what it is and, unfortunately, it does have certain limitations and the sky, contrary to human expectations, is not the limit. I wanted a bilingual to master both languages at the same level, in speaking, writing, in culture, mores, and folklore... a tall order indeed. It would probably not play in Peoria. Too many circumstances have to come together for this type of bilingualism and so, perhaps, we should settle for whatever we get and stop barking up the wrong tree of language, expecting what may be an impossibility. The fact that someone is trying to master two languages should be more than enough to satisfy me, and we should egg her on, ignorant of what she´s getting into, the poor thing, and applaud, and bring the house down on the theater of language acquisition. So, here´s a big hand to all those who are trying -often hard- to be truly bil...

  Si alguien le habla a usted en un castellano defectuoso y con un fuerte acento británico, en la calle, por ejemplo, contéstele siempre en español vocalizando bien y hablando pausadamente. Jamás le responda en inglés. Creo que no hay nada más descortés y ofensivo que desairar a una persona que trata de expresarse en el idioma que está aprendiendo, cambiando al suyo, que es como decirle: “Habla usted tan mal que no tengo más remedio que ayudarle en su propio idioma.” Ah, y no hable a gritos, que el que habla el castellano mal no siempre es sordo. Con cierta frecuencia y cuando viajo a los Estados Unidos y en el avión, aeropuerto, se dirige a mí, en inglés, gente que domina esa lengua macarrónicamente… y a pesar de las dificultades que noto en el hablante, siempre contesto en inglés también. Al final del trayecto, y después de la, a menudo, penosa conversación, me permito decirles alguna cosilla en castellano, que les sorprende mucho. Pero por nada del mundo quisiera hacerles el d...