Regionalisms and expressions

I posted this commentary in my mini blog originally however, I decided to post it in the forum too because while browsing El Nuevo Herald today (printed in Miami) one of the headlines caught my attention in the section 'El reporte de la ma?ana'. One of the sub headings is 'vea d?nde est?n los tranques'. The word means traffic (or refers to a traffic jam). To my knowledge that word is used regionally. I have only heard it in Panama, used by Panamanians and you don?t have to guess what it means. Anyone who has been there just has to say the word V?a Espa?a and the automatic response is 'hay mucho tranque'. The most common word in Spanish for traffic jam is embotellamiento and then you will hear regionalisms like in the DR, tap?n (mostly likely in PR too). Curiosity got the best of me so I checked in the rae to see if any details are given about the word tranque and my question was answered as to why it was used.

Here is the dictionary definition:

Cuba. embotellamiento (‖ congesti?n de veh?culos).

The dictionary indicates Cuba which means it?s a regionalism. That was a subtle reminder who controls the Spanish version of the Miami Herald, however IMO, the paper should use generic terms since the Spanish-speaking readers are diverse. To John Lipski?s credit, the Spanish variety of USA is worthy of deep examination.

Here is my mini blog commentary:

As mentioned in many threads the speech varieties in Spanish are noted and Latin America is an area of interest for those in professional fields relating to language but also for those who just like to learn, are observant and like to be in the know. I do believe some people have a gift when it comes to language just the same way others have a gift for math, the sciences etc. Some people can recognize accents, characteristics of speech, take note of regionalisms and expressions whereas others can only recognize the accent and regionalisms etc of their own country.

Every country?s population has a distinct way of speaking (accents), intonation, regionalisms and expressions that makes them unique. As well, within a country there are linguistic zones. There are also similarities among countries in the same geographic region. Central American countries have linguistic similarities for example, El Salvador and Honduras, and El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. If one is familiar with the history of the region, it explains the linguistic equivalence.
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Comparisons are another fun aspect about the language if you are an enthusiast or guru. It makes no sense to limit yourself with a language as diverse as Spanish. Here are a handful of examples of expressions by country that I have noted along the way from colleagues, friends, acquaintances, literature etc and use from time to time too. As well, it?s normal for Spanish speakers to know and understand expressions heard in other countries and also people often do not know expressions used by other speakers. As well, depending on the amount of exposure you have to Spanish from different countries there are plenty of references on the market with region specific vocabulary, expressions, slang however, it?s quite fun and intriguing to discover them on your own.

1/ Listo- meaning 'okay' in the sense of 'de acuerdo'? Colombia
2/ De pronto- meaning 'quiz?s' (maybe)- De pronto me puedes ayudar con este problema- Colombia
2b/ De repente= quiz?s- Peru
3/ ?Regio!- great, fantastic- Peru
4/ P?sale la voz- spread the word, let everyone know- Peru, Bolivia
5/ Patear latas- used when there?s nothing to do. Ando pateando latas- commonly used in Peru
6/ Padre, padr?simo- great- M?xico (from watching Univisi?n)
7/ Estar calato/a = estar desnudo- nude- Peru- from reading Peruvian novels
8/ Asere- buddy, 'amigo'- Cuba (from songs)
9/ ?ndale- this is a popular Mexican expression heard in cartoons
10/Che- common in Argentina and has various connotations

Feel free to add some interesting words (regionalisms), expressions that you have come across or heard in the Spanish-speaking world. (Please leave the vulgarity out of this thread).


-LDG.

Hola Jess...

Most of those expressions are new to me.

Just a brief comment about two of them.

andrea9k said:

bac?n!, mostro! - Great! Excellent!

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Bac?n is quite common in a few South American countries with the same meaning- maravilloso, muy positivo, 'great', along those lines. However, I use the variant bacano or bacana, which is also Colombian to express the same. How was the show?- bacano.

andrea9k said:

tranquilo nom?s! - Don't worry. As in, I will take care of it...

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?tranquilo nom?s!- You are so correct with this expression and when I read it reminded me immediately of a Peruvian friend of mine who says that all the time. I never really paid attention to it beyond just 'his way' of responding. Yes, pens?ndolo bien suena muy peruano.


Here are a few more I would like to add:

Since 'el tranque', traffic (traffic jam) is what motivated me to start this thread, the Colombian colloquialism is tranc?n. That's the word used everywhere in Colombia.


To add to the Peruvianisms:

Huachafo- is a word I hear a lot from my friends and I am actually reading another Peruvian novel (just a coincidence and not Jaime Bayly surprise, surprise) and it's used quite a bit. From what I gather one meaning is 'pretentious' as in 'cursi' and the dictionary also says that it means a person who dresses badly (mal vestido). Anything you can add here please feel free.

Cholo- unfortunately it is used quite a bit in many Peruvian novels that I have read which is the term used to refer to una persona ind?gena but in a derogatory way.


-LDG.

Two more-

Here are two more examples from sources i.e. the newspaper and television that I would like to add. Yes, one can always go to a reference but I think it?s more intriguing to consult the reference after you learned the expression if necessary to confirm the meaning, the origin etc.

Excerpt from El Universal.com- Por ti, por m?, por Cartagena

Los vendedores de artesan?as del Convento Santa Cruz de La Popa y habitantes del sector se unieron para mejorar las v?as de acceso al monumento con la ayuda de la comunidad religiosa de los Agustinos Recoletos. El mal estado de la carretera impide que las busetas de turismo lleguen a la cima del monumento, lo que ha afectado sus ingresos en un 80%.

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Buseta- bus.

Buseta is yet another word for bus in the Spanish-speaking world. After doing some research the word is used in Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. This totally makes sense since these countries are neighbours.

Mucho til?n, til?n y nada de paleta(s)

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This expression was used by a commentator on Univisi?n and right away I thought 'good expression' probably used only in a few countries but understandable. IMO, if a person is in tune with the language, s/he can make sense of it, til?n, til?n y nada de paleta and can also think of a more common equivalent in Spanish which is mucho ruido y pocas nueces.


-LDG.

Chamba, chambear-

I usually read Jorge Ramos' weekly article in El Nuevo Herald as they are very insightful and offer an interesting point of view about current events. Univision's top journalist and writer expresses himself simply and confidently without having to use obscure vocabulary and complex phrases to present his opinion about the topic in question.

The title of this week's headline caught my attention which was probably the intent- Barack Obama y los aguacates mexicanos. The article is about the North American Free Trade Agreement and changes that may be made to it under his rule.

What is evident about many these types of articles is the linguistic style. Most columnists write in a form that's familiar to them which includes colloquial speech suitable to the theme being discussed. IMO, this is a typical Jorge Ramos article and he expresses his point of view in writing very similar to the way he speaks. Having said this here is an example of a colloquialism used which fits right into the style and tone of the article:

''Desde que el aguacate mexicano pudo entrar, gracias al TLC, al mercado de los Estados Unidos'', explic? Calder?n, ''casi simult?neamente Michoac?n --el estado mayor productor de aguacate-- dej? de ser el estado que m?s migrantes se mueven hacia Estados Unidos''. En otras palabras, si esos campesinos que cultivan aguacates en Michoac?n se quedan sin trabajo porque se cierra el mercado estadounidense a la fruta mexicana, entonces ellos se van a ir a buscar chamba, otra vez, al norte.

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Chamba- a colloquialism that means 'work' used commonly in Central America especially by Salvadoreans (in my experience) and now I know Mexicans use it as well. I hear it used often and certainly gives the article a colloquial flavour.

Chambear- to work.



-LDG.

-eta is a diminutive-

Norma,

Yes, it's a small bus, like a van. I have been in them many times in Colombia.

From a grammatical perspective one can see the relation because -eta is a diminutive. Ironically, I don't recall hearing the word in Colombia.

Other examples to show the diminutive -eta:

la avioneta- small airplane (from el avi?n)
la camioneta- van (the word for van in some Spanish-speaking countries from el cami?n)
la isleta- islet (from la isla)
*la camiseta (t-shirt) (from la camisa)

* As well, a regionalism for la camiseta is la franela. That's the word for t-shirt used in Venezuela. I remember when I was in Margarita Island, a lady was talking about buying 'franelas' good thing she was pointing to them as an example because I had no clue what she was referring to. I was thinking of the material.

From the RAE-

franela.

(Del fr. flanelle).

3. f. Ven. camiseta (‖ prenda interior).


The diversity in Spanish is endless and this is the point I keep trying to emphasize in this forum. No need to limit yourself.


-LDG.

'Fea por fuera, rica por dentro'

La guan?bana

I thought this was an interesting discovery for an early Saturday morning read. The fruit guan?bana called 'sour sop' in English has local variations and variations in the Spanish-speaking world. In a thread dedicated to fruit a few years back and in other posts, generic names for fruits is discussed. However, local/ regional names and certain regionalisms in Latin America specifically can have an unintentional embarrassing or even offensive meaning in another country. Therefore, where possible usage of the most generic name is recommended.

Sour sop can be eaten as a fruit or it can be made into juice. I tried the juice once and did not like it. I am not sure if I will try it again but I think one has to acquire a taste for it from the beginning. It's a fruit of tropical countries thus grown or available in many Latin ones. What I found interesting in today's feature in the section Nutrici?n of today's El Siglo (de Panam?) about this fruit is not only its nutritional value and natural properties to fight certain cancers but the local variations for the name of the fruit in Panama.

Here are the local variations:

'masasamba'
'corosol'- this word is in the RAE
'chachim?n'
'huana huana'

Regionalisms used in other Latin countries:

'graviola'
'chirimoya brasilera'


-LDG.

chin y pana-

Yachtguy1 said:

3. Chin or Chin Chin - Means "a little bit" or just "a little."

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Chin is exclusive to the Dominican vernacular. I don?t think anyone on this board is unfamiliar with it unless s/he is really new to the country and for sure it would not be long before they start hearing it. Un chin= un poquito but Spanish being the language of doble entendre (doble sentido) (at times) just like its sister language French thus it can have a another meaning. What you hear in songs is an example. Titles such as Dame un chin and combined with the lyrics makes the meaning clear. Context and connotation is the key to understanding the meaning.

As well, the various diminutive forms that one might hear is very typical of the DR vernacular (rural specifically).

Yachtguy1 said:

4. Pana - Used by younger Dominicans to refer to a good friend or pal.

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Pana is used in a few Latin countries with meaning of 'amigo', 'buddy'. It?s used in colloquial speech with a range of speakers not only younger folk. Examples include Panama and Venezuela for sure where you will hear pana used and of course outside of Latin America such as Canada and the USA where the language is spoken by a diverse group of Spanish speakers. There are many theories about the origin, some say it comes from English but I have never read anything concrete to back that up. There are other existing theories about the origin of the word.

Regionalisms and colloquialisms enrich the language learning process, comprehension, knowledge and diversity.

En mi opini?n, cuanto m?s sepas mejor.


-LDG.

Doble entendre...

Speaking of which, I am not sure how that derived but from the French 'double entendre', 'doble entendre' is used which is a combination of Spanish and French. I think it has a poetic nuance.



-LDG.

Oui... c'est vrai

Yes, I know and I was reading in a reference that 'double entendre' is obsolete, meaning no longer in use. My point however was to simply show the correlation to Spanish.


-LDG.

La Mariposa said:

In French we say ''double sens''

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