LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

  Sé que todos los escritos sobre autoayuda animan a ser positivos.  Debemos también adoptar una actitud positiva al escribir. En las frases trataremos de ser afirmativos y evitaremos la forma negativa. Esta recomendación vale para cualquier lengua. Por ejemplo, la inglesa:   En vez de :                                                      Escribiremos : That is not true                                              That is a lie They are not tall        ...

  Por muchas vueltas que le doy, no logro comprender cómo es posible que nativos del idioma que escriben en revistas, libros y guiones pueden confundir "then" por "than." La pronunciación es diferente por completo. La /e/ de "then" nada tiene que ver con la /a/ de "than". Repasando el guion de la película "The Batman Superman Movie" (1997) en busca de citaciones, me topo con esto: "He is very thoughtful and much deeper then the gossip mongers would lead you to believe." (Subrayado mío.) Repasemos nuestros escritos para no cometer este error, u otros. 

Por si acaso tenéis que escribir una carta en inglés a alguna desconocida, escribáis lo que escribáis, jamás (en jamás de los jamases) se os ocurra emplear: "Allow me to introduce myself." Una de los cliches más bobos e innecesarios de la lengua inglesa. La otra es: "But the reason I am writing to you today is that..." que es, si cabe, más tonta que la anterior. ¡Al grano! Siempre al grano. Me lo agradeceréis. De nada.

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White , is a little book I recommend, not only to would-be writers but also to would-be learners of English. In 100 pages, the authors condense all there is to know about writing and speaking. We are exposed to simple facts that most students are not aware of. For example: "The colloquial have got  for have   should not be used in writing." He has not got any sense should be He has no sense . You have got a problem should be you have a problem.  We are told about the usage of people and person : "If of six people, five went away, how many people would be left? Answer: one people." (one person, of course.) Many Spàniards begin by saying: "La verdad es que..." and Strunk and White tell us: " The truth is ..., a bad beginning for a sentence. If you feel you are possessed of the truth, simply state it. Do not give it advance billing." And ditto for the fact is el caso es . 

  Absolutely necessary – “Do it. It is necessary.” Advance reservations – “You must make reservations to attend the meeting.” And etc. – “She is young, pretty, intelligent, etc.” Basic necessities, needs – “This money will cover my needs.” Brief summary – “I wrote a summary of the novel.” Brief moment – “We met for a moment.” Closed fist – “He hit me with his fist.” Circle around – “We circled the block.” Collaborate together – “We collaborated in the project.” Descend down – “She descended the stairs slowly.” First of all – “First you must clean the house.” Foreign imports – “Our imports come from ten countries.” General public – “The public will understand.” Drop down – “She dropped a threat.” Each and every – “I want to thank each of you.”

  All languages have writing guidelines that must be followed lest the writer risks being misunderstood. However, when such rules lead to confusion and even danger, they must be broken, changed, or improved. I am referring to dates, such as October 25, 2023, which appears as 25/10/2023 in Spain and UK, and 10/25/2023 in the United States. Lizbeth Dresden advised me of an article in El País about this subject (La vergüenza que pasó una familia por la errónea traducción de una denuncia de EE.UU por pederastia), which shows how dangerous it is to continue with this anomaly in transcribing dates. I propose changing to Roman numerals for months so that the above date would appear as 25/X/2023, or X/25/2023. Either way, the possibility of error in translation is avoided. 25/XII/2023 would correspond to 25 December 2023. What do you think?

  I know you know we all know, but just in case, I am venturing to write that we should never begin a sentence with: And, For, Or, However... just as we should never do the same in Spanish with: Y, Por, Para, O, Sin embargo... for obvious and grammatical reasons.  And this is the long and the short of it!

  Actually we have three possibilities: 1. Thank you so much 2. Thank you very much 3. Thank you a lot I like neither. A plain and simple "thank you" is more than enough. I do not believe there are degrees in our appreciation for whatever we are thankful for.  My students use such silly clichés, when writing emails, mainly because they copy the communications they receive from native speakers; usually ignorant native speakers. Let us rid ourselves of nonsensical clichés. 

Las tautologías o los pleonasmos son viciosas redundancias de palabras para decir lo mismo dos veces. En castellano es redundante el pronombre posesivo con las partes del cuerpo, y ajeno al espíritu del idioma. Diremos: "Me he roto la pierna derecha" y no "me he roto mi pierna derecha." "Me duele la cabeza" en vez de "me duele mi cabeza." "Tiene la barriga hinchada" y no "tiene su barriga hinchada." "Margarita tiene las piernas largas" en vez de "Margarita tiene sus piernas largas". Otros ejemplos de pleonasmos: "Están doblando a muerto". (Doblar las campanas, tocar a muerto.) "Aterido de frío". (Aterido es paralizado a causa del frío.) "Sorpresa inesperada". (Si se esperasen, las sorpresas ya no lo serían.) "Actualmente en vigor". (Si está en vigor es actual, claro.) Y también: párpados de los ojos, repetir otra vez, desenlace final, ejemplo práctico,...

  No matter how haughty and foolhardy we are intellectually, we all need to have our writings checked, edited, proofread, and vetted by an outsider who is detached and impartial. I kid you not. I know it from experience. So, to assure you do not make a fool of yourself and weaken your communication with silly solecisms, check with me. I will help you  with suggestions and corrections that will improve your productions. For a modest fee you will obtain the benefit of a double-check. 

To write well and effectively is not as hard as it seems, in either language. Of course, we must have a good command of grammar and vocabulary. Let me give you 5 tips: 1. Do not pen 3 words when 1 will do. 2. Never beat around the bush. Go straight to the point. 3. Use dictionaries of synonyms. There is always a word that expresses your thought better than the one you first chose. 4. Use dictionaries to make sure the chosen word has the meaning you think it has. 5. Simplicity is the golden rule. - To beat around the bush , irse por las ramas. - Go straight to the point , ir derecho al grano. - Golden rule , regla de oro. You can also check my book ESCRIBIR Y COMUNICAR EN INGLÉS , de Oberón/Anaya, 2017.

Las palabras solapadas –maliciosas- forman una quinta columna en nuestros dos idiomas y son el precio que tenemos que pagar por el bilingüismo. Siempre están al acecho y se nos cuelan en el otro idioma cuando menos lo esperamos, y por muy atentos que estemos. Pero no debemos bajar la guardia porque son infinitas y, repito, solapadas y maliciosas. Nos hacen quedar en ridículo si nos descuidamos. Consultando diccionarios y leyendo mucho, iremos afianzando nuestros conocimientos de los dos idiomas. Y en la duda, buscaremos ayuda. When in doubt, check it out. No nos descuidaremos jamás para no caer en el Spanglish norteamericano de Fui a la marketa (market) en la troca (truck) y cuando volví pasé por la yarda (yard) y pisé la grasa (grass) pero al entrar en casa vi que el rufo (roof) me liqueaba (leak) . Unos ejemplos más: Admirar                       to wonder A...

Amy Tan , the American novelist, tells us that writing is the arrangement of words in an artistic way. I add that the arrangement of words must always be clear and simple so that they require no explanation.  ●Good writing never needs a second reading. ●Good writing is clear writing. ●Good writing explains the writer’s thoughts immediately. ●Good writing is not confusing. ●Good writing is concise writing. Dr. Oliver Sacks explained that “The act of writing is full of surprises for me and makes me think of things. It clears my mind.” “The primary – indeed the first – and most abiding precept for all writing is clarity, to be clear, understood and intelligible.” Steven Pinker

Sustantivos de la vida cotidiana que son verbos también y que sorprenden a los hablantes de otros idiomas. En principio, y en inglés actual, todo   sustantivo puede convertirse en verbo. Las posibilidades son infinitas. Unos ejemplos: Dog , perro. My dog likes to play. To dog, perseguir, seguir, acosar. The idea of going to America has dogged me for years. Belly , barriga, panza. My husband has a beer belly. To belly , arrastrarse. The men bellied in the mud to reach safety. Finger , dedo de la mano. People have ten fingers. To finger , apuntar con el dedo, hurgar. Jim, do not finger your nose. Paper , papel. I need a piece of paper to write a note. To paper , empapelar. I am going to paper the room. Pencil , lápiz. I have bought two pencils for school. To pencil , escribir a lápiz. You must pencil this exercise. Toe , dedo del pie. My big toe hurts. To toe , tocar con los dedos del pie. Toe the water. Table , mesa. Tables usu...