LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

  Yesterday, Telemadrid did it again. Truth be told, this should not surprise me, because Spanish television in general shows a low regard for the official language of Spain. In the program “120 minutos” we read: “Anboto, exdirigente de ETA condenada por participar en quince asesinatos, sale de prisión entre la indignación de las víctimas.” “Entre” for “ante.” And “las víctimas” should more properly be “los allegados de las víctimas.” Let them kick grammar and usage around as much as they like—Spain is, after all, still a democracy—but we should try our darndest to speak and write well. Right?

  BILINGUAL BICULTURAL   In the early fifties, as a young boy, I crossed the Atlantic aboard a TWA Super Constellation propeller airplane from Madrid. After many hours, we landed at Idlewild Airport in New York. A tallish, thin, blond young boy reached America and immediately felt at home. “This is home at last”, I said to myself, and thus started my love affair with this country. What was it about Idlewild, the Greyhound bus that took me to Pittsburgh, a nine-hour ride, the people around me… It was a feeling of contentedness, of a certain joy, of adventure and emotion. All seemed new, fresh, and different, so different from my adopted city of Madrid, where I have never truly felt at home to this day. I had my first Coke, my second Coke, my third Coke during that long trip through Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh, the Smokey City, as it was then called. I was better off than most because I spoke English and was able to understand and make myself understood to the astonishmen...

“El tiempo tiene un ritmo distinto para los jóvenes y para los viejos.”  Julio Llamazares, El río del olvido , 1990. (Delfín Carbonell,  Diccionario panhispánico de citas , 2008. Prólogo de Enrique Vila-Matas, "El lujo de las citas.") NB. Julio Llamazares, Spaniard, 1955-, writer, scriptwriter, traveller, is an author to reckon with. 

  Aprender un idioma y dominarlo bien, con soltura y a todos los niveles, incluso el propio no es cuestión baladí. Pero ya nos decía Spinoza que todo lo bueno es difícil de conseguir. De no ser así, todos seríamos políglotas. Pero, como siempre, muchos son los llamados y pocos los elegidos... simplemente porque unos hacen el esfuerzo y otros, la mayoría, no se molestan. Aprender un idioma bien, incluso el propio, es posible... y nos abre las puertas a nuevas maneras de pensar, de acceder a otras culturas, a otras aventuras educativas o espirituales. La inversión de tiempo vale la pena. Hagamos ese esfuerzo todos y dediquemos unos minutos cada día a mejorar y adquirir más francés, inglés, castellano, urdu... el idioma que sea. Saber dos idiomas redobla nuestras posibilidades. Hablar tres las triplica. ¿Vamos a intentarlo? Ánimo.

Like the rest of Europe, Spain is the home of several languages. Spanish is spoken by one hundred percent of the population and the rest, which we could label "regional" languages, Aranés, Gallego, Catalan, Basque, and Valenciano, have varied percentages of native speakers, all of whom, as I have already said, have a good command of Castilian, with different accents, intonations, and phraseology, also comparable to different accents, intonation, and phraseology in German, French, Italian and other continental languages. This is nothing to write home about except that, until a few weeks ago, Spanish was the only means of parliamentary communication in Congress since the advent of democracy after the Dictator´death, 1975. Unfortunately, the Socialist government decided to use languages as political weapons, approving a law permitting regional languages to be used in parliamentary procedure, with simultaneous translations into and from Spanish, forcing Aitor Esteban to address ...

Today I was listening to this actress married into the British Royal family, explain that she lived for a while in Argentina, where they speak a Spanish dialect called "castellano." That made me think of Alexander Pope ("A little learning is a dangerous thing") and prompted me to check "Castilian" in dictionaries. Random House explains: "1. The dialect of Spanish spoken in Castile. 2. The official standard form of the Spanish language as spoken in Spain, based on this dialect." Wrong on both counts. "Castellano", and "español" referring to the language, are interchangeable in the Spanish-speaking world. I prefer "castellano" because it is more neutral as it refers to a country long disappeared. Also because it is one of the 5 languages spoken in Spain.      

Perhaps you have noticed that I tend to stress the need to care for one´s native tongue. You may exclaim that it is silly because, after all, you are a native speaker of, say, English and have been speaking it since birth. That settles it! But, no, that does not settle anything. I cannot tell you how often in my classes I have been asked to translate a word into the speaker's language only to meet perplexity on the part of the student because she did not know that word in Spanish or English, in her own tongue. If we do not study our own language, we will never be able to acquire a second one well. This may seem puzzling but in my experience it is true. Never overestimate the level of knowledge of your own language and be humble. You will never go broke underestimating the span of your vocabulary, grammar, and even syntax in your native tongue. You have nothing to lose improving it while mastering a second one. Thank you for your attention.  

  Si cometemos la locura, ingenuidad, de consultar diccionarios bilingües en internet, que hay muchos, nos reiremos un rato si sabemos algo de los dos idiomas, y si no, haremos el ridículo ante los demás. Busco la expresión castellana necesitar Dios y ayuda , y me dicen que en inglés es God and help . Como no es correcto, voy a Google y me responde igual: God and help , cuando la realidad es que la frase paralela, con el mismo significado, es need all the help one can get . “We are going to need all the help we can get to finish this report.” Vamos a necesitar Dios y ayuda para terminar este informe. “I, for one, am going to be needing all the help I can get to finish this book.” Pero, aunque necesito Dios y ayuda , me las voy a tener que arreglar solo. Lo bueno es que si usted, lector, tiene el libro en sus manos es porque, con ayuda o sin ella, he podido terminarlo. No obstante, y repito, cuidado con los traductores de internet, que mienten más que escriben.

Yo no soy el caso, pero sé de muchos que se levantan de mal humor. Será porque han dormido mal, o poco, pero el caso es que ese día todo les sale torcido y arremeten contra todo bicho viviente. Como tenemos frases para todo, en inglés se dice " to get up on the wrong side of the bed ."  Así que "we must be careful with someone who has gotten up on the wrong side of the bed." También tenemos otra versión del modismo: " Get out of bed on the wrong side ".  ¿Cuál es ese lado malo de la cama? En tiempos aún más supersticiosos que los de ahora, que ya es decir, se creía que los malos espíritus siempre atacaban por la izquierda, y por eso en castellano se dice: " levantarse con el pie izquierdo ", que la gente emplea para exculparse de su mala educación.  Manuel Longares nos avisa en su novela Romanticismo que "Hoy Pruden se ha levantado con el pie izquierdo." ¡Cuidado con él!    

Creo que si se investiga, encontraremos expresiones similares castellano-inglés. Por ejemplo, la expresión taurina "entrar al trapo", significa que el toro acude al señuelo del trapo, capote, y hace precisamente lo que el torero le pide. Uno de los traductores automáticos da "enter the rag" como equivalente, y Word Reference se va por los cerros de Úbeda. Pero si decimos "rise to the bait", encontraremos la idea fielmente reflejada: "react to a provocation  just as intended." "Molly was rude to David on purpose, but he did not rise to the bait" y es que Molly era grosera con David adrede pero éste no entró al trapo. Y ahí queda la cosa. Entonces: "rise to the bait", "entrar al trapo."

  Ojeando Spanish Grammar Cheat Sheet, he recordado el error básico en el que tropiezan muchos hispanohablantes al emplear el inglés.  "Es necesario que todos usemos mascarillas - It´s necessary that we all use masks." "Es importante que Pedro vea a un médico - It´s important that Peter see a doctor." "Es bueno que la gente coma saludablemente - It´s good that people eat healthy." "Es mejor que nos quedemos en casa - It´s better that we stay at home." "Es justo que le den la medalla a Juan - It´s fair to give John the medal." En las pp. 118-19 se explica mucho más, de manera clara y con ejemplos.  

  Those of us who live in democracies often raise the banner of "freedom" against those unfortunate ones who live under dictatorships. But we forget that if we jaywalk, we get a fine. If we forget to file our tax returns, we will end up in jail. Do not exceed the speed limit because you´ll be ticketed. Do not park on the wrong side of the street because you´ll be tagged. All taxes must be paid, or else. I can go on endlessly. The conceit of evading "citizen responsibility" is always lurking in our minds... but we must beware because all that glitters (democratic freedoms) is not gold.  But we do have the ultimate freedom, the freedom that, if transgressed, will carry no penalties. The freedom of language: to destroy it, to misuse it, to torture it, to vilify it, to transgress it into oblivion... and nothing happens. Governments also have that freedom. They have the liberty to issue statements, laws, threats, proclamations with errors, faulty grammar, incomprehensibl...

In the controversy started in Spain by Catalan separatists who are trying to make Catalonia monolingual, and relegate Spanish to the rank of foreign language, I must take a stand.  The balance between Catalan and Spanish in that region must not tip one way or the other. The good fortune Catalonia has in being bilingual, in speaking two languages from birth, is a blessing that should not be relinquished. I am for bilingualism and against language persecution, one way or the other. In any totalitarian language genocide, I must raise my voice to condemn persecution and defend the right to bilingualism, a gift not many cultures have. 

Aprender un idioma, learning a language, significa básicamente ejercer la memoria, basically means to exercise memory. ¡La memoria, esa gran desconocida de la ciencia! El gran reto de la neurociencia. Important because we are memory. Our brain stores all input from the senses and is then able to compare and classify data. Para hablar un idioma necesitamos palabras y frases que debemos aprender de memoria, nos guste o no. But how can we do that speedily and effortlessly? That is the mystery of language-learning. Pero lleva tiempo y práctica. And there are many "methods" and "techniques" to commit vocabulary to memory. Una técnica más: Open a file in Word where you will add vocabulary as it comes up: July, 2020 Table - Mesa Corkscrew - Sacacorchos Hubris - Arrogancia Caveat - Salvedad, advertencia August, 2020 Watermelon - Sandía A horse of a different color - Harina de otro costal Inkwell - Tintero So long - Hasta luego I agree - Estoy de acuerdo...

Antonio Muñoz Molina en su Blog, "Semánticas", pregunta “¿Y por qué de pronto deja de decirse trabajo y se dice empleo, y empleado en vez de trabajador, y desempleado y no parado, y, gran anglicismo, empleador y no patrón o empresario? ¿Por qué hubo que dejar inservibles millones de formularios y que volver a rotular sedes para que lo que había sido desde hace no sé cuánto Ministerio de Trabajo pasara a llamarse Ministerio de Empleo?” El DRAE nos dice de eufemismo : "m. Manifestación suave o decorosa de ideas cuya recta y franca expresión sería dura o malsonante". Debemos añadir a esta definición, y de nuestra cosecha, una segunda: “Palabra que sustituye a otra para maquillar el significado original y darle un lustre que ha perdido social o psicológicamente.” Las palabras en sí no son ni buenas ni malas y no tienen culpa de la actitud que nosotros adoptemos ante ellas. No hay que tener miedo a las palabras. El eufemismo es un pozo sin fondo generador de...

Los anglohablantes tienen tanta locuacidad como los hispanohablantes y son unos manirrotos con las palabras, y prefieren utilizar muchas en vez de una. Así gustan de decir "to drive by car" , en vez de simplemente "to drive ." Exclaman que " Jill is pretty in appearance ," por simplemente "Jill is pretty ." Veremos que algo es "blue in color " por sólo " blue ". ¿Por qué les gusta decir "small in size" , cuando " small" es suficiente? El peor es "to plan in advance ." También gustan de decir "early on " por un mondo y lirondo " early" . ¿Y qué me dicen del "listen up "? Supongo que ese " up " es influencia del "speak up" , que es un verbo compuesto. Debemos estar atento a estas bobadas cuando leamos en inglés, y en castellano. Pero el que esté libre de pecado, que tire la primera piedra.Ya lo decía Gracián: A menos palabras, menos pleitos.

For years I have condemned the use of a por as a solecism. I have always abhored the sentence voy a por la leche . The rationale was that we should not employ two prepositions together, in this case a and por . But language does not belong to stick-in-the mud old fogies like me, luckily. It belongs to all and has its own directions and rules. So I have changed my mind because there is a reason, I admit, for this a por . Voy a misa por mi mujer. (Because she wants me to, and to keep her happy.) Voy a misa a por mi mujer. (To collect her or pick her up.) He venido por ti. (Because of you.) He venido a por ti. (To get you.)

The Internet, all of it, is plagued with self-appointed teachers of languages: some good, some bad, and some completely out of it. But we have no way of knowing who is going to lead us well and who is going to misguide us. I cannot judge, I can only say that simply being a native speaker is not enough. Today I have read in Instragram that the word "Spaniard" is "old fashioned." Not so. --"Spanish" is an adjective which refers to the people of Spain, to their country and language. As a noun it refers to the Spanish people collectively: "the Spanish came to America." It also refers to a language: "He speaks Spanish well." --"Spaniard" is a noun and refers to a native or inhabitant of Spain. It is the only noun to refer to a person born in the Kingdom of Spain. --Years ago Spanish-speaking people in the US referred to themselves as Spanish, whether they were from Bolivia, Honduras, Puerto Rico or Mexico. To make the d...

(I dedicate this post to Alberto Cornejo Alcaraz.) A train is a means of transportation that can convey us to a new life, new experiences, new cities, exciting and different weather conditions, adventures, love, knowledge. A train is a means, not an end in itself altough is can be, in the sense that the ride can be enjoyable also: The rattling of the wheels, the whistling of the engine, the comfort of the seats, the countryside passing by. Let´s change the word "train" and replace it by "language." A new language is a means that can convey us to new experiences, meeting new people, the strange adventures of different literatures, weird ways of seeing reality, a passport to the meeting of true minds, friendship and adventure. Even romance and love. A different language is not an end in itself although it can be, in the sense that learning it can be enjoyable: the different sounds, the weird syntax, the funny idiomatic expressions, the shocking slang... I u...

Did you know that if you repeat a word several times, fast, it loses its meaning and becomes just a sound, a meaningless sound? Repeat "pasta"... pastapastapastapastapastapastapastapasta... until you reach a point where you are making sounds, just sounds and come to realize that language is sound, sound to which meaning is attached.  Think about this seemingly unimportant fact. Ponder on it. It will clarify your language study and your attitude towards it. If you want to learn English , remember it is sound. If you want to learn Spanish , remember it is sound.