LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

 ChatGPT has recently allowed itself the luxury of correcting my usage of "pun" as a synonym of "retruécano." As I tend to make mistakes galore, I have decided to go to the sources, and the sources are monolingual dictionaries, not bilingual ones. Let us compare: Random House Webster's . PUN: The humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words. Diccionario María Moliner. RETRUÉCANO: Chiste conseguido manejando palabras parónimas (de forma parecida y distinto significado).  MM does a better job at definition, concise and to the point. Is "retruécano" a good equivalent of "pun"?

 Compiling a comprehensive bilingual dictionary is never a simple undertaking, but when the focus is on phraseology, the task becomes particularly demanding. Phraseology includes idioms, collocations, locutions, proverbs, sayings, set phrases, clichés, similes, exclamations, puns, and countless other fixed or semi-fixed expressions that give a language its distinctive character. In many respects, phraseology constitutes what might be called la entraña viva, la esencia comunicadora de una lengua ,   the living core, the communicative essence of a language. Native speakers do not communicate by stringing together isolated dictionary words alone; they rely on habitual combinations, inherited turns of phrase, and culturally shared expressions that carry shades of meaning impossible to capture through literal translation. For that reason, a bilingual phraseological dictionary cannot limit itself to offering simple lexical equivalents. Such a work must go further. It should provid...

When someone tries to sell me a bill of goods, sugars the pill, or gives me the runaround with a lot of fast-talk, I always shoot back with the expression "no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney". Al Smith, governor of New York in the 30s popularized the expression as a campaign slogan. No matter how you dress it up or envelop it with sweet talk, the meaning is clear: you are trying to pull a fast one on me. I learned the phrase in College when I was about 17 and it has stuck. I am reminded of this when someone tries to get me to read a self-help book."Cut to the chase, buddy because I am wise to you and no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney." Hope you enjoy it and add it to your phraseology. "Por muchas vueltas que le des, no deja de ser un timo (bobada, engaño, mentira...)" is my Spanish version. What do you think?

Tratamos de ignorar serios problemas y fingir que no existen. Pero están ahí. Las avestruces de habla castellana esconden la cabeza bajo el ala y así se creen a salvo. Las de habla inglesa entierran la cabeza en la arena y también eluden el peligro o sus responsabilidades. Sin embargo, parece ser que las avestruces no esconden la cabeza en ninguna parte y afrontan sus peligros a pechuga descubierta. Veamos: Meter (esconder) la cabeza bajo el ala Bury one’s head in the sand No metas la cabeza bajo el ala y afronta el problema Don’t bury your head in the sand and face the problem — “… tan pronto enseña los dientes como mete la cabeza bajo el ala.” Aquilino Duque, El suicidio de la modernidad , 1984. Esp. || “Si tú Creonte no lo haces; si tú, Luciano no lo aceptas, ahora es cuando meto la cabeza bajo el ala.” Francisco Nieva, Corazón de arpía, 1989. Esp.  

Speaking of age: As old as the hills (Adam, Mathuselah, dirt, the earth, mountains, time, Pyramids) Más viejo que Matusalén, que andar a pie, la tos, andar a gatas, Carracuca, Altamira, la sarna, el anuncio de la Casera, del año de la nana (de la polca, de Mariacastaña) His girlfriend is as old as the hills Su novia es más vieja que Matusalén   

  Speakers use phrases rather than words and prefer a long idiomatic expression to a simple verb. This mystery puzzles linguists and probably has something to do with the recondite workings of cells in the brain. I have come to the conclusion that the idiomatic expression is the second most important invention of language: first the word, the concept; second, the grouping of those words to create meanings and add spark and vivacity to the way mankind elicits thought, bringing joy and cheerfulness to speech. Language (and phraseology) has been changing since the dawn of time through a process of evolution that has not stopped and will never end. Neuroscientists may someday discover the intricacies of the brain's and language's relationship. In the meantime, try to express in one word the meaning of step up to the plate, throw for a loop, be in the stocks, rise to the bait, be on the stocks, pay scot and lot ... and let me know your ideas on the subject.

Upon listening to a discourse, I tend to grasp both the meaning conveyed and how it is conveyed. I practice this in spoken discourse, which is less structured and coherent than writing. The way the speaker presents their ideas, the words, and the idioms used are important to me. I am more alert to idioms now than I was before I embarked on my phraseological research in English and Spanish. I often wonder why the speaker uses a particular idiom, and the answer usually is that they have no other way to express their idea or feelings. Count it for joy, one can't win for losing, made of different clay, when push comes to shove, are phrases that express ideas and feelings hard to deliver otherwise.  "Count it for joy" implies finding happiness in difficult situations, which might take several sentences to explain without the idiom. "One can't win for losing" succinctly expresses the feeling of continuous bad luck or failure despite efforts. "Made of differen...

Supongo que cuando Televisión Española adquiere una serie o programa originalmente en lengua inglesa, el proceso es contratar a un traductor, o empresa traductora, para que vierta al castellano el guion inglés. Ese guion acaba en posesión de una empresa de doblaje que tiene actores que son los responsables de leer y dramatizar la traducción. Y al final nosotros somos los recipientes últimos de todo el proceso. Pues bien, está claro que no hay responsable de calidad lingüística alguna. Oímos traducciones literales del inglés que no tienen sentido en español y ahora son las que verdaderamente están cambiando el curso, el devenir normal del idioma. Esto se nota mucho en la fraseología, donde hoy he escuchado en un programa sobre Alaska que "toda actividad aquí requiere trabajo de hombro" que intuyo es "elbow grease" y que debería haberse vertido al castellano como "toda actividad aquí requiere sudar la camiseta", por ejemplo. Otra "traducción" que o...

I will never tire, perched on my Blog soapbox, of pounding on the importance of phraseology in language. Idioms, idiomatic phrases, signify the epitome of language, the mind's effort to express itself and shake the slavery of simple words to embrace the freedom of expression, communication, conceit, and ideas. Words are not enough, and the mind has taken hold of whole sentences to express itself. Actions speak louder than words, and the sentence "sin pena ni gloria" means "sin especial relieve o notoriedad". ("El disco ha pasado sin pena ni gloria en España." El País, 20/09/1997.) Nobody has given much thought or attention to the record and it has been fast forgotten. Poor composer! In English, we can use another idiomatic expression in "not with a bang but a whimper" meaning of little effectiveness or excitement than expected. ("Maybe the way the British monarchy ends is not with a bang but a whimper." News.co.aus, April 27, 2024.)...

The average language student - no matter the language - is worried about basic grammar which can, after all, eventually be mastered proficiently, but does not give much thought to phraseology. Entre todos la mataron y ella sola se murió" does not pose grammatical or vocabulary challenges but dares the student to understand or translate it. And how about "matarlas callando"? Talking about "matar": what´s the meaning of "matar el gusanillo"? And "aquí te pillo y aquí te mato" does not have complex syntactical or grammatical complexities and yet, what does it mean? I shall let you chew the cud for a while and see what you come up with. 

Cuando leemos textos en lengua inglesa, nos topamos con frases que creemos reconocer porque las palabras que incluyen nos son conocidas. Si nos topamos con when push comes to shove , seguiremos leyendo porque todas las palabras son de uso corriente. Count it all for joy también tiene vocablos de uso cotidiano, pero que todos juntos, en este modismo, no vamos a comprender su significado. Si leemos que hay gente above or below the salt , seguiremos leyendo porque comprendemos las palabras individuales. Not with a bang but a whimper nos recordará a T.S. Eliot pero no sabremos de qué van ni el bang ni el whimper juntos. Claro que si rebuscamos en internet nos enteraremos del sentido real de esa fraseología. Lo que no encontraremos, y he aquí el reto, son los modismos paralelos de ellas en lengua castellana. Y no hablo de paráfrasis, sino de veraces réplicas paralelas. Lo siento but I can't win for losing .

I want to make my Phraseological Dictionary as helpful to the user as possible. I am making it also a dictionary of synonyms. For the entry Once in a blue moon , I give de uvas a peras , de pascuas a ramos , de higos a brevas and cada muerte de obispo . For each of the Spanish idioms I add, after once in a blue moon , every now and then . This is more painstaking but probably more helpful to the user, to the student who wishes to enhance their knowledge of phraseology in the other language.      

I am always doing linguistic fieldwork. It means my ears are pricked up when I venture out, outdoors. In coffee shops, public transportation, and sauntering, I catch snatches of conversations from people from all walks of life. Mind you, I am not eavesdropping, just taking in what I hear, helter-skelter. You probably know that I make my home in Madrid where, albeit comfortable and at ease, I do not consider "home." But I digress. The other day I heard an elderly lady say "dar sopas con honda" (give soup with a sling.) "Yo les daba sopas con honda a todos mis condiscípulos" she was saying... meaning, of course, that she ran rings around them, outsmarted her classmates. It got me thinking about how many speakers of Spanish and English would understand either "dar sopas con honda" or "run rings around someone"? I can find plenty of literary citations for both... but, how about the run-of-the-mill native speaker? I will ask relatives, acqua...

  A speaker of Spanish no matter how hard she would try, never in a million years would fathom the meaning of "to look as if butter would not melt in one´s mouth." A citation: "Yasodha turns to find an angelic expression on her son´s face as if butter wouldn´t melt in his mouth." (Ramesh Menon, Blue God , 2000.)  Someone who appears to be innocent, angelic, and good, but is not. However, if we tell the Spanish-speaker that someone looks "como si no hubiese roto un plato en su vida" she´ll get the drift. "Pareces un angelito que no ha roto un plato ni ha matado una mosca en su vida." (Lola Beccaria, La luna en Jorge , 2001.) But the nagging question is, why does language invent convoluted and complicated sentences to express simple ideas? But, sad to say, every language is loaded with idiomatic expressions that we must learn. 

  To a certain (large) extent Hasta cierto punto, en gran medida To a certain extent you are right Hasta cierto punto tiene usted razón To a lesser extent En menor grado Coal is used now to a lesser extent El carbón se emplea ahora en menor grado — “… vast resources of natural gas and, to a lesser extent, oil.” The China and Eurasia Forum Quaterly , Vol., 6. To some extent Hasta (cierto) punto To some extent, I´m a happy man Hasta cierto punto soy un hombre feliz — “To a certain extent they succeeded.” Chemistry in Britain London, BNC, 1992. UK. To the extent of Hasta el punto de He went to the extent of consulting the teacher Fue hasta el punto de consultarle al profesor To the full extent (sense) of the word En todo el sentido (extensión) de la palabra John is a gentleman to the full extent of the word Juan es un caballero en todo el sentido de la palabra — “ He has to be a living, breathing experience to the fullest  extent of the w ord . ” Merye...

  Just as there are word detectives (Cf. John Simpson´s The Word Detective ), I have become a Bilingual Phrase Sleuth. I track, trace, and nail down equivalent phrases in English and Spanish. Traits to become a lexicographic bilingual phrase sleuth are stubbornness, hard work, constant alertness, reading, time, and carloads of patience. Pay no heed to those who praise the wonders of the internet and databanks sky high. We still have a long way to go in bilingual lexicography. While we wait for the Internet and Google to become linguistically serious, let me tell you an English idiom: Get up on one´s hind legs ,  become assertive, aggressive, belligerent, etc., according to Webster´s New World Dictionary, 2nd Ed.  "McBride then got up on his hind legs and told them he and his mates would kiss what girls they wanted to." (Louis A. Mayer, Under the Jolly Roger , 2007.) "David finally got up on his hind legs and told the boss what he thought of him." The phrase sleuth h...

  Los idiomas son un reflejo y apéndice del cerebro, una herramienta para comunicarse con otros cerebros. Y de ahí que siempre tengamos modos de expresarse iguales o parecidos en diversos idiomas. Los niños, y adultos, emplean varias maneras de seleccionar a uno (de entre varios) en juegos por medio de frases hechas. Un ejemplo en inglés es (la versión que yo sé):  "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo catch a tiger by the toe, if it hollers let it go, eenie, meenie, miney, mo!"  Que en castellano (mi versión) es: "Pito, pito, gorgorito, ¿dónde vas tú tan bonito? A la era verdadera pim, pam, pum... ¡Fuera! Y he rebuscado y encontrado la versión francesa: "Am, stram, gram, Pic et pic et colégram Bour et bour et ratatam, am, stram, gram...Pic! Y seguro que hay muchas versiones en muchos idiomas. 

  Phraseology, I hold, is the epitome of the full development of language. Language unleashed flows into phraseology. It deals with feelings, mindsets, and imagination. To go straight, to go taking the shortest route becomes as the crow flies .  The next town is thirty miles from here, as the crow flies . It is not true that the crow flies in a straight line, but it matters not because language, phraseology, does not have to be scientific or logical. Bear this in mind. 

  A la vuelta Upon returning, when getting back A la vuelta te lo diré I’ll tell you when I get back A la vuelta de After A la vuelta de algún tiempo se dio cuenta de su error After a while, he realized his mistake — “A la vuelta de algunos años volvió al pueblo y se casaron.” Dicc. De uso del español de América y España , 2002. Esp. A la vuelta de la esquina Around the corner Las navidades están a la vuelta de la esquina Christmas is just around the corner — “Bogotá.---El ministro del Interior y Justicia Sabas Pretelt afirmó que un acuerdo para liberar a los secuestrados está a la vuelta de la esquina si el...” Radio Caracol – 23/12/2003. Colom. A la vuelta lo venden tinto Song and dance Sí, claro, todo es complicado, y a la vuelta lo venden tinto Yes, of course, everything is complicated, and that song and dance — “… y en la vida, como en todo, a la vuelta lo venden tinto.” Ramón Ayerra, La vida inútil , 1978. Esp. A vuelta de correo By retur...

We forget that idioms also have synonyms. A case in point is the English expression "to a T" which can have diverse parallel expressions in Spanish. To a T A derechas, sin faltar una coma, como Dios manda, que ni pintado, salir algo redondo (bordado), en su punto He copied the document to a T - Copió el document sin faltar una coma. Things must be done to a T - Las cosas hay que hacerlas a derechas. I want you to make your bed to a T - Quiero que hagas la cama como Dios manda I delivered the lecture to a T - Di la charla que ni pintada The steak was done to a T - El filete estaba en su punto