Articles about Spanish

This thread will be for articles about the Spanish language. The web has a wealth of good information about language and Spanish in general. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to dedicate a space in the forum exclusively for articles relating to Spanish (and if relevant relating to language in general. Any links that do not relate to the aforementioned theme will be removed).

I have been reading a language column on and off in La Prensa (a daily Nicaraguan newspaper) and the columnist, In?s Izquierdo has written some fabulous articles over the years and has proven to be an advocate for preserving the Spanish language. I have yet to disagree with what she has written. I know she also published a book which I would love to purchase as another resource for my reading pleasure and enhanced knowledge.

Here is an article that I just read today and thought it would be a good one to start off this thread. The topic is right on point about spelling errors that people make in Spanish and its deteriorating impact on the language. The author refers to those who spell incorrectly in Spanish as Asesions del idioma.

Asesinos del idioma

No hay duda alguna, el idioma espa?ol muere en los karaokes. Hace algunos a?os comentaba que nunca hab?a visto tantos errores juntos en un texto como los que detect? en un karaoke en Bluefields.

Me equivoqu?. Esta semana anduvimos en Jinotega con el Foro Nicarag?ense de Cultura, donde pasamos d?as maravillosos apreciando los nuevos valores del arte en la Ciudad de las Brumas.

Las discusiones fueron muy fruct?feras y hay mucha confianza en que se fomentar? el h?bito de lectura entre los ni?os y j?venes.

Todo estuvo perfecto, pero la noche de clausura despu?s del acto fuimos a un karaoke y mi molestia con quienes transcriben las letras de las canciones sigue aumentando.

Hay letras irreconocibles para m?, que observo en una oraci?n diez errores de ortograf?a. Creo que se debe ser muy cuidadoso en ese sentido, igual que con los subt?tulos de las pel?culas, a veces es deprimente ver como maltratan nuestro idioma.

Una amiga camag?eyana me dijo que eso depende de la calidad de las copias, pero hasta en las salas de cine salen errores de ortograf?a y redacci?n, la mayor parte resultado de una mala traducci?n.

Pienso que por eso es importante la labor del Foro al incentivar la lectura en la ni?ez, pues constituye el ant?doto perfecto para la mala ortograf?a.

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Asesinos del idioma - La Prensa


-MP.

pollogringo said:

Totalmente de acuerdo.

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Reading is paramount and helps with proper spelling but it's a problem in Latin America due to accessibility and resources. In the DR, spelling is a huge problem and I am always amazed how the average person writes. The illiteracy level is quite high despite what the numbers try to reveal. The 4% education campaign is all nonsense when you consider the state of education.


-MP.

This article was the one that got me thinking about creating a thread exclusively relating to Spanish and language.

Of course it caught my attention and hopefully will dispel the myth about the languages spoken in Canada and especially in the two most diverse cities which are Toronto and Montreal. The official languages of Canada are English and French but do all Canadians speak French? No. The largest concentration of French speakers both native speakers and foreign French speakers live in Quebec and it's officially a French province. New Brunswick or Nouveau Brunswick is officially a bilingual province and a lot of French speakers from Quebec live there. There are French communities in Ontario and Manitoba but numbers wise most Canadians don't speak French or are not considered bilingual-English/ French.

However, what I found striking about this short article is without the stats, I could have told anyone that Spanish in Toronto and Montreal is noted and it does not surprise me that the usage of the language has gone up significantly (I live the reality everyday). I think it's great that people have the opportunity to learn and speak Spanish outside of an official Spanish-speaking country and since multiculturalism is promoted in Canada, it's not difficult to immerse yourself in the language if that's your choice.

I have also noted the change in bookstores as well. For example, in the past one would have to go to an independent bookstore for Spanish novels, magazines etc and now some of the major books stores in Toronto have a section for novels in Spanish. Prior to that they only had references like dictionaries, language workbooks etc. Montreal has a wonderful selection of books tailored to the population of majority speakers, French but there is no difficulty in finding independent bookstores with Spanish novels, reference material, language workbooks etc. The globalization of the world has really changed the dynamics of language and the impact is felt in some countries more others. I think Canada is one of them.

Toronto
El n?mero de canadienses que habla ingl?s o franc?s, los dos idiomas oficiales del pa?s, disminuy? en Canad? entre 2006 y 2011, seg?n datos que se?alan que el espa?ol es uno de los idiomas extranjeros cuyo uso aument? m?s durante ese periodo.

El Censo de Poblaci?n de 2011 revela que hoy en d?a en Canad? se hablan m?s de 200 lenguas y que una quinta parte de la poblaci?n, unos 6,630,000 personas, utilizan en el hogar un idioma distinto de ingl?s o franc?s.

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Cae uso del ingl?s y franc?s y aumenta el del espa?ol - listindiario.com

-MP.

pollogringo said:

No, Mariano. It's much more than lack of "accessibility and resources". There's something approaching a generalized disdain for reading. And spelling isn't given a second thought.

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That too.... I was just keeping things simple since I have many posts in past years on this subject matter.

tflea said:

OP's intentions seem honorable and thankfully well intentioned; but preserving any linguistically based cultural heritage through current DR rhetoric would be a stretch. Language here has morphed into jibberish, and I see no turning back. I've never heard such nonsense as spoken here. English in North America is going through the same thing, through multicultural influences, as well as texting/technology and dysfunctional social changes.
I guess we just have to get used to it. Or I'll ask Siri to explain it to me one day.

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I appreciate your comment. You made a generalized statement about Spanish spoken in the DR and labeled it as gibberish. Can you expand a bit and state exactly what you are referring to regarding your observations about how Dominicans speak and/or Spanish spoken in the Caribbean? Neither of the articles that I posted are about what you posted although language discussions can branch off into other topics. It would be wonderful and helpful if you can expand and give specific examples as to why you define Spanish in the DR as gibberish.

BTW- your post has a lot of potential topics of discussion. In my opinion, English in North America is definitely affected by the multicultural influences but the key factor that has left English open to being changed is the fact that it's a lingua franca and this impact on English has been for decades and not just a result of the new era of globalization.

The issue of texting and technology will impact all languages once they are widespread such as on the Internet i.e. email and other global media. Clearly anyone can see the changes it has on English and Spanish. The short forms in texting that (some) people use and the changes in spelling will do nothing but further corrupt both languages. All this ties back to the issue of spelling again. If you can't spell in your own language what does it say about your command and the way you speak? I hardly text. I would rather pick up the phone and call someone. However, I do receive texts that I literally have to decode- 'i am happy 4 u' - this is easy but what about when it gets complicated? I don't see this form of spelling destroying the formal language because it's not actually being taught via education.

There is still a standard and texting short forms were created by its users. Texting is informal writing but does have an impact on language so does email but the formal language is still in place and that's why it's important that the DR education system gets on board with teaching spelling to the masses. It was poor to start with and now people think ?Qu? quieres? is actually spelt ?K kieres? People who know how to spell in Spanish and have knowledge of any language they speak are not the ones who have to worry in my opinion. It's the uneducated ones who will sink further in the abyss of illiteracy.

-MP.

BBC article- El lenguaje que dominar? internet~

Well, what a nice surprise. I did not expect to find such a good article on language in the BBC today. It’s right on the front page. It’s a great article about English and its global usage especially on the Internet and how other languages (especially many Indian languages) have created their own form of the language (vocabulary) mixed with the popular languages spoken such as Hindi and Urdu. The global reach of English is unprecedented because of technology and its second language speakers (numbers wise) are greater than its native speakers according to the article.

Coincidentally, much of what I stated in my response to tflea is stated here in this article based on my own observations over the years about some of the most noticeable changes in the spoken language. In a multicultural society, it’s very easy to observe how one language impacts another and once again it’s the speakers that create the change. The spoken language differs greatly from the formal language and it’s still being taught academically. It’s inevitable that the new age will impact language and anything traditional but I don’t foresee the standard being compromised (yet) because it unifies communication especially in business.

I like the fact that article noted the differences in spelling between British English and American English. The way one spells is certainly an indicator of influence and the actual standards for English spelling in whatever part of the world a person was educated. Based on the article, I would consider my spelling to be 95% British influenced and I prefer that actually.

It’s a great article to read if you consider yourself a language lover and are interested in the linguistic changes of some global languages such as English. The last paragraph of this article reiterates what I said in my post #13 about English being a lingua franca and what that means for English as a transcendental language of the world.

"En su mayor?a la gente realmente habla m?ltiples idiomas: es menos com?n hablar s?lo uno", dice Munro. "El ingl?s ha tomado su lugar como la lengua franca del mundo, pero no est? desplazando a otros lenguajes".

En cambio, otros idiomas est?n abri?ndose paso en el ingl?s y, en el proceso, creando algo nuevo.

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El lenguaje que dominar? internet - BBC Mundo - Noticias


-MP.

Here is the most recent article from La Prensa. It's quite interesting and gives an explanation about three key everyday phrases in Spanish. The columnist explains the origin of buenos d?as, buenas tardes and buenas noches. The original question asked was why are these forms used in plural although in some Latin countries the singular form of buen d?a is used (and this is not an issue of dropping the /s/ in colloquial speech).

I found the explanation intriguing but honestly never questioned the plural usage from a grammatical or linguistic point of view but it makes for a good discussion point and out from this response a reader (see the comments at the bottom of the article) asked abut one grammatical point that is along the same lines. Saludes vs Saludos. This distinction I have noticed among speakers and specifically in Central America some people say Muchos saludes instead of Muchos saludos with the same intended meaning but in essence the words are not the same.


Buenos d?as - La Prensa

Nos escribe desde Miami Enrique William Cort?s, quien nos pregunta: “?Por qu? decimos buenas noches, en plural, cuando damos saludos o nos despedimos de noche. Si nos estamos refiriendo a la noche. Una. La actual, o sea, singular. Ser?a correcto decir buena noche?”.La f?rmula de saludo que se emplea durante la ma?ana, la tarde o la noche en idioma espa?ol, es por lo general en plural: buenos d?as, buenas tardes o buenas noches, aunque en algunos pa?ses de Am?rica del Sur usan tambi?n en singular: buen d?a.

?Por qu? sucede esto en nuestro idioma y no en el ingl?s, franc?s o italiano? Muy sencillo, “buenos d?as” es una forma simplificada de “Buenos d?as nos d? Dios”, una frase empleada mucho antes del Quijote, pero con el paso del tiempo se fue reduciendo, por la econom?a del lenguaje y llega a nuestros d?as como una frase hecha.

Nuestro saludo no se refiere solo a la ma?ana de hoy, es algo m?s hermoso, es un deseo de bonanza en todos tus d?as, una especie de bendici?n. Y el hecho que no digamos ya la frase completa, est? impl?cito el mensajes de “Buenos d?as nos d? Dios”.

De ah? querido William que se pueden usar ambas formas, pero seguro t? preferir?s desear muchos d?as buenos a quienes saludes, porque de esa manera les estar?s ofreciendo algo m?s que una ma?ana.

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-MP.

Adverbios de lugar-

Here is the most recent article on language from La Prensa (Nicaragua).

I think this topic is one that many speakers have questions about regarding proper usage. In grammar lessons adverbs are covered but it's always good to refresh your knowledge especially since you will see (in writing) and hear incorrect usage.

Some people do not know the difference in Spanish and how to use these adverbs correctly. A, aqu?, ac?, ah?, all? y all? are defined as adverbs of place. Are you using them correctly? Can you explain the usage to someone else if asked? That's always a good way to test your own understanding by explaining the usage correctly to someone else.


Ah? o all? - La Prensa

I think the author of the article has provided a good explanation. Here it is:

In?s Izquierdo Miller

Hemos recibido muchos mensajes de nuestros defensores del idioma, por razones de espacio estar? respondiendo en mi columna, sus dudas.

Comenzar? con Clara Amaya, quien nos pregunta: “?Cu?l es la forma correcta para indicar algo, se puede decir ah? o all??”.

Clara, ya he respondido esta duda otras veces, pero insistir? en el tema.

En el idioma espa?ol usamos como adverbio de lugar a aqu?, ac?, ah?, all? y all?.

Para que podamos emplearlos mejor hay algunas recomendaciones, una de ellas es agruparlos en tres categor?as.

La primera incluye a aqu? y ac?. La segunda a ah?, y la tercera, all? y all?. Cada una de estas agrupaciones corresponde a la menor o mayor distancia de un lugar en relaci?n con la persona que habla.

Estos tres grupos de adverbios se vinculan con los demostrativos este, ese, aquel. Podemos se?alar que aqu? y ac? equivalen a “en este lugar” (cerca del que habla); ah? viene siendo “en ese lugar” (cerca de la persona con quien se habla); all? y all? equivalen a “en aquel lugar” (lejos de la persona u objeto del que se habla).

Si pensamos en esta sencilla agrupaci?n la diferencia entre “La c?mara est? aqu? (ac?), ah? o all? (all?)”, radica en lo cerca o lejos que la c?mara se encuentre de nosotros.

Si nos remitimos al Diccionario de la Real Academia Espa?ola, nos encontramos que ah? significa “en ese lugar o a ese lugar. En esto, o en eso. Ah? est? la dificultad”. Mientras que all? quiere decir “en aquel lugar. En correlaci?n con aqu?, para designar sitio indeterminado”.

Espero Clara, que tu duda sea “aclarada”, y aqu? s? vale la redundancia.

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-MP.

Good article to post...

Licencia para escribir mal. La Prensa

No voy a hablar de la publicidad enga?osa, de eso ya hemos visto bastante. Nos prometen, el sol, la luna y las estrellas y al final no recibimos ni un poco de lodo.

Tampoco hablar? de esos bancos que ponen ?Venga a aperturar su cuenta y...??, porque ya hemos dicho hasta la saciedad que ese verbo no existe, eso es un disparate may?sculo que las entidades financieras deben quitar de su diccionario personal.


Me refiero a tratar de llamar la atenci?n cometiendo errores ortogr?ficos, lo hemos visto con cervezas, comidas, electrodom?sticos etc. Incluso los m?s osados inventan nuevos t?rminos muy mal concebidos por cierto.


Alerto sobre el tema porque muchos lectores remiten a mi muro de Facebook los disparates que cazan por las calles de todo el pa?s, en una especie de campa?a para sensibilizar sobre la importancia de escribir con correcci?n.


Hace unos d?as Diego Montiel envi? una foto de un sal?n de belleza con un letrero llenito de errores. Todos suponen que yo me ataco cuando veo esos destrozos, sin embargo lo interesante es c?mo algunos enseguida salen de paladines a defender lo ?indefendible?.


Que usted sea trabajador, honesto y emprendedor no significa que eso le d? licencia para escribir mal. Todo lo contrario debe esmerarse m?s.


Nuestra ortograf?a, nuestra redacci?n es la carta de presentaci?n de nosotros, es importante que revisemos con cuidado todo lo que se va a publicar, m?s si es una publicidad . No hagamos trizas el idioma. Nadie tiene licencia para escribir mal.

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This is a good commentary on incorrect spelling in Spanish especially on a professional scale where spelling should be correct. However, spelling errors in professional establishments plague the language as per the article. This columnist of La Prensa has written good articles about language which are always interesting to read and certainly food for thought. This is one which many can relate to since incorrect spelling is visible on a daily basis in public establishments which should have flawless spelling (I agree with the columnist of the article).

My observation and thoughts regarding common spelling errors in Spanish is that they are tied to the basic rules or fundamentals of spelling in the language:

Examples:

/s/, /z/, /c/- are letters that cause confusion in words that have them.


/g/ and /j/ - are often used incorrectly in words that have these letters.


/b/ and /v/- these letters challenge many people when spelling but one should be able to decipher between the two based on the rules (in my opinion sometimes words just look wrong when spelt incorrectly)


Accents- many people who write Spanish don't understand the rules of accentuation. Memorizing the accents only helps to a certain extent but when you write command forms with pronouns one has to understand the rules of accentuation in Spanish.

Consonants- in general there are spelling rules in Spanish especially when to double the consonant in certain words.

In my opinion, it?s easier to spell in Spanish than it is in English. However, when you see how some people write it does make one question the serious gaps in basic education (and this issue has nothing to do with typos which we all make).


-MP.

Another good article this week...

Cambios y el diccionario. La Prensa

In?s Izquierdo Miller

Algunas personas me escriben preguntando por qu? afirmamos que solo nunca lleva tilde o los pronombres demostrativos esta, esa, aquel, esto, eso, aquella, etc. Al consultar el diccionario no aparece as?.

Amigos m?os, lamento decirles que cuando ocurren estos cambios, hay que esperar a nuevas ediciones para que aparezcan legitimizados en el DRAE (Diccionario de la Real Academia Espa?ola)

Seg?n los ?ltimos cambios de la Real Academia Espa?ola (RAE), a partir de ese momento existe la: ?Eliminaci?n de la tilde diacr?tica en el adverbio solo y los pronombres demostrativos incluso en casos de posible ambig?edad?.

Es interesante destacar el final de p?rrafo : ?incluso en casos de posible ambig?edad?, porque uno de los cambios que hubo dec?a que usar?amos tilde en solo, cuando hubiera ambig?edad.

Eso se derog? y ya no debemos poner tilde , y a?ade la RAE ?La palabra solo, tanto cuando es adverbio y equivale a solamente (Solo llevaba un par de monedas en el bolsillo) como cuando es adjetivo.

(No me gusta estar solo), as? como los demostrativos este, ese y aquel, con sus femeninos y plurales, funcionen como pronombres (Este es tonto; Quiero aquella) o como determinantes (aquellos tipos, la chica esa), no deben llevar tilde seg?n las reglas generales de acentuaci?n, bien por tratarse de palabras llanas terminadas en vocal o en -s, bien, en el caso de aquel, por ser aguda y acabar en consonante distinta de n o s?.

Revisen bien las fechas de publicaci?n de sus diccionarios, pues se vuelven obsoletos cuando ocurren estos procesos de transformaci?n de la lengua.

As? que no usemos la tilde en esos casos, pues como concluye la RAE ?? a partir de ahora se podr? prescindir de la tilde en estas formas incluso en casos de ambig?edad. La recomendaci?n general es no tildar nunca estas palabras?.

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__________________________________________

Here is a DR1 thread that was started a few years back on this topic.

http://www.dr1.com/forums/spanish-101/108594-new-spelling.html


-MP.

In reference to the article in post #19...

Proposed changes in spelling in Spanish were introduced in 2010 by the Real Academia however, some were still under review by the RAE and its affiliates. Since the changes were introduced have text books, references, grammar books etc started implementing the changes? The article above references this point because many are still questioning why the accented form of s?lo (adverb) is still used to distinguish it from solo/a (adjective). I will keep an eye out for the changes in newer references because these changes are official now.

As mentioned in the article, one has to look at the year the dictionary was printed because anything prior to when these changes in spelling in Spanish were made official will have the old forms. Other key changes include changes in accentuation of demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, for example, este, ese, aquel vs. ?ste, ?se, ?quel etc the accented forms are no longer required to distinguish between these parts of speech.

Since the introduction of the changes, I have been observing the writing in journalism specifically and I do see some of these changes implemented by those who write daily but with inconsistency. If the accent is omitted on the word solo (solamente), it’s hard to tell if the writer is following the new rules or if s/he forgot the accent because in the same article sometimes both forms are used with the word having the same meaning.

According to the article, the RAE has made it official for the above mentioned forms. The accents are not required and references that have them will be considered obsolete because of the new spelling changes. Other changes in spelling as referenced in the thread started on DR1 are official as well.

I guess it will take some time for everyone to get adjusted to the new rules but they are official and should be incorporated into new Spanish references. Here is an excerpt of an article in List?n Diario today where the old form s?lo is used (meaning solamente). In the new spelling the accent on –o is not required.

Los Yanquis encabezaron las Grandes Ligas en cuadrangulares el a?o pasado con 245r, pero esta temporada est?n en el pen?ltimo lugar en la Liga Americana con s?lo 88.

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Another example is the usage of ?stos with an accent on the –e which is no longer required in the new spelling.

Sin embargo, conect? un cuadrangular en su ?nico juego en ese estadio: en abril de 2009 con los Cachorros cuando ?stos jugaron un par de encuentros de exhibici?n en el Yankee Stadium antes de su inauguraci?n oficial.

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Soriano regresa con Yanquis - listindiario.com


-MP.