Words, phrases and expressions of the week- January 6, 2018

[dv8]

1) Are you saying my journey to work ?..... ¿en el trabajo?
5) Concordance- the s is dropped when speaking but it has to be written.
7) spelling- la mayoría

1. according to him travesia does not have to be physical, between two locations. much like in english, "life is a journey" and all that. in this case travesia was meant ironically, the journey from 9 to 5, so to speak.
5. his mistake.
7. my mistake and a dumb one for i know how to spell this word correctly

 

[Lucifer]

Agrícola is an esdrújula word.

 

[dv8]

i do not know how to enter accents on my keyboard.

 

[Matilda]

i do not know how to enter accents on my keyboard.

Change the keyboard setting to United States International and add Spanish to the languages. You can then toggle at the bottom of the screen on the right between English and Spanish. To add accents or upside down question marks and exclamation marks you press Alt and the letter. ááááá¿¿¿¿¿ñññññ

Matilda

 

[Marianopolita]

1. according to him travesia does not have to be physical, between two locations. much like in english, "life is a journey" and all that. in this case travesia was meant ironically, the journey from 9 to 5, so to speak.
5. his mistake.
7. my mistake and a dumb one for i know how to spell this word correctly

Regarding phrase #1 I think you mean the usage is figurative which in that case I can understand.


Regarding # 7 and your spelling error it happens and it’s really no cause for concern. However, I can understand your frustration since it’s so easy to spell in Spanish once you understand the phonetics and rules of accentuation.


-MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

Pregunta para Lucifer

I was thinking about your comment about word choices again and thought of one that I am curious to hear what you say. What word do you use for flight attendant in Spanish?


-MP.

 

[Lucifer]

I was thinking about your comment about word choices again and thought of one that I am curious to hear what you say. What word do you use for flight attendant in Spanish?


-MP.

For flight attendant, I've always used azafata, but I've also heard aeromoza. And I wonder if both words are now outdated, just as stewardess.

Regarding impensable, I've already asked a Mexican co-worker, and he expressed familiarity with said word. Today, I'll query other co-workers, including a couple of Dominicans, as well as my colleagues who hail from all over Latin America and Spain, with the exception of Uruguay and Guatemala.

It may turn out that everyone uses the term, and I haven't been paying attention.

 

[Marianopolita]

For flight attendant, I've always used azafata, but I've also heard aeromoza. And I wonder if both words are now outdated, just as stewardess.

Regarding impensable, I've already asked a Mexican co-worker, and he expressed familiarity with said word. Today, I'll query other co-workers, including a couple of Dominicans, as well as my colleagues who hail from all over Latin America and Spain, with the exception of Uruguay and Guatemala.

It may turn out that everyone uses the term, and I haven't been paying attention.

Okay so you are like me then. I have always used azafata but I just noticed now that the dictionary states that the word is outdated. Maybe so in terms of a more recent word like asistente de vuelo is now more widely used. However, words don’t change or disappear that fast. In my opinion, aeromozo/ a sounds even older but still used. Maybe now the trend is asistente de vuelo, azafata and aeromozo/a.

I think impensable is an everyday word and widely used.

I mentioned recently in thread that the more vocabulary you acquire the more neutral you get which is definitely my case. I read almost exclusively in Spanish therefore words like impensable don’t strike me as odd or uncommon.


 


 -MP.

 

[Lucifer]

Aeromoza, which probably insinuated a certain model-like physique, has finally fallen out of favor, probably around the same time as propellers and free meals in coach class...

And while on the subject of outdated words, aeroplano comes to mind. I might have heard it on a song as a kid, but that's it.

While living in the D.R. we would hear 'pegar cuernos' o 'no me pegues cuernos.'

Now it's 'LOS cuernos.': Yajaira me pegó los cuernos; Gertrudis le pegó los cuernos a su esposo.

 

[AlterEgo]

For flight attendant, I've always used azafata, but I've also heard aeromoza. And I wonder if both words are now outdated, just as stewardess.

I just asked Mr AE, and he immediately said “azafata”. I asked him about aeromoza, and he said yes,  but that Dominicans don’t  normally use that word, he thought it was more South American, but not sure.  Bear in mind that he hasn’t lived in DR a long time.

 

[Marianopolita]

Aeromoza, which probably insinuated a certain model-like physique, has finally fallen out of favor, probably around the same time as propellers and free meals in coach class...

And while on the subject of outdated words, aeroplano comes to mind. I might have heard it on a song as a kid, but that's it.

While living in the D.R. we would hear 'pegar cuernos' o 'no me pegues cuernos.'

Now it's 'LOS cuernos.': Yajaira me pegó los cuernos; Gertrudis le pegó los cuernos a su esposo.

From a word origin perspective aeromozo and aeromoza are easy to decipher. In Spanish mozo and moza mean a lad or young lady respectively. Therefore, aero + mozo/a= aeromozo/ aeromoza. That is easy word formation. The concept of a young male or female working on the plane.

Azafata to me that word reveals its origin which is Arabic. We all know the history of the Moors in Spain and one of the biggest cultural contributions was their impact on the Spanish language. That is another example. 

Words phase out over time but even though the dictionary says it’s out of use I think you will still hear it in Spain and Latin American. Aeromozo/ a always sounded like a word that would be used more in Mexico and as well, it’s very common in Spanish grammar text books.

Aeroplano is old. My goodness.  


-MP. 

 

[Marianopolita]

I have been to Panama three times in the last year and I finally figured out the foundation of their Spanish which is in my opinion Colombian. It does make sense because they were once part of La Gran Colombia. However, it’s not something you notice right away but it’s there and it is one of their varieties of Spanish.

On one of my trips last year I heard a lady on her cellphone saying estoy esperando en la fila. I was in line to leave the airport to go to Panama City. Right away I thought okay here is another opportunity to observe word variation. In Spanish, a line that you wait in can be fila or cola but which is more common or preferred? Well, l learned that day what Panamanians say but since then I have become curious. I say cola but understand fila and incorrect usage in the context of waiting in a line is línea which I have heard on Miami Spanish television.


-MP.

 

[Chirimoya]

Azafata is the first word that came to my mind too.

Azafata to me that word reveals its origin which is Arabic. We all know the history of the Moors in Spain and one of the biggest cultural contributions was their impact on the Spanish language. That is another example. 

Indeed:
La palabra “azafata” proviene del árabe “safat”, algo así como un cesto de mimbre en el que la encargada de ayudar a la señora a vestirse, desvestirse o cualquier otro menester, dejaba algunas pertenencias de la misma como perfumes, joyas, etc...
Esta palabra se castellanizó, dando origen a “azafate”, que identificaba a unas cestillas similares a las árabes y que también eran portadas por las doncellas que ayudaban a las señoras.
Era un trabajo destinado a unas privilegiadas (en ambos períodos), por lo que las encargadas de tal acción estaban muy bien consideradas; y acabaron por ser definidas por el nombre del elemento que portaban.
De esta manera “azafate” definiría tanto al objeto como a la persona que lo llevaba, evolucionando en el tiempo hasta la actual “azafata”.
http://www.aulafacil.com/articulos/sabias/t2513/el-origen-de-la-palabra-azafata

On one of my trips last year I heard a lady on her cellphone saying estoy esperando en la fila. I was in line to leave the airport to go to Panama City. Right away I thought okay here is another opportunity to observe word variation. In Spanish, a line that you wait in can be fila or cola but which is more common or preferred? Well, l learned that day what Panamanians say but since then I have become curious. I say cola but understand fila and incorrect usage in the context of waiting in a line is línea which I have heard on Miami Spanish television.

In Spain cola is more common. In my experience fila is the preferred word in the DR.

 

[Lucifer]

Azafata is the first word that came to my mind too.


Indeed:
La palabra “azafata” proviene del árabe “safat”, algo así como un cesto de mimbre en el que la encargada de ayudar a la señora a vestirse, desvestirse o cualquier otro menester, dejaba algunas pertenencias de la misma como perfumes, joyas, etc...
Esta palabra se castellanizó, dando origen a “azafate”, que identificaba a unas cestillas similares a las árabes y que también eran portadas por las doncellas que ayudaban a las señoras.
Era un trabajo destinado a unas privilegiadas (en ambos períodos), por lo que las encargadas de tal acción estaban muy bien consideradas; y acabaron por ser definidas por el nombre del elemento que portaban.
De esta manera “azafate” definiría tanto al objeto como a la persona que lo llevaba, evolucionando en el tiempo hasta la actual “azafata”.
http://www.aulafacil.com/articulos/sabias/t2513/el-origen-de-la-palabra-azafata


In Spain cola is more common. In my experience fila is the preferred word in the DR.

Great info on azafata.

As far as line, as Chiri said, we prefer fila:

Oye, mi loco, te aconsejo no ir al banco los días de pago: una fila larguísima.

And lastly, impensable.

Some of my co-workers agreed that impensable is of common usage in their respective countries. And all are in agreement that it's a lower register in comparison to inconcebible. One of my Dominican co-workers was of the same opinion regarding its usage in the D.R.: "Nunca."

I'd like to add that some of my colleagues are highly educated folks, and have taught both English and Spanish. A few of them I'd consider polyglots.

 

[Marianopolita]

Great info on azafata.

As far as line, as Chiri said, we prefer fila:

Oye, mi loco, te aconsejo no ir al banco los días de pago: una fila larguísima.

And lastly, impensable.

Some of my co-workers agreed that impensable is of common usage in their respective countries. And all are in agreement that it's a lower register in comparison to inconcebible. One of my Dominican co-workers was of the same opinion regarding its usage in the D.R.: "Nunca."

I'd like to add that some of my colleagues are highly educated folks, and have taught both English and Spanish. A few of them I'd consider polyglots.

In essence what you have said aligns with what I said regarding impensable. Your co-workers agree it’s of common usage meaning it’s used. The word is out there which what I said even though the register may be lower (that I can’t say 100% either as it’s subject to opinion) but the word is not unusual. The fact that is not used or heard of in the DR that is a question for the RAE and the DPD which always makes me question certain aspects from a linguistic perspective.

The DR has a population of 10 million approx. There are approx 480 million Spanish speakers today which means the DR is not considered a big linguistic territory overall of the Spanish language. The population represents 2-3% of the Spanish-speaking world. I think this a factor to consider. 


Impensable is not a regional word like chin, guagua, abarrotería etc. where out of context you have to look it up. Put impensable in Google and look how many examples come up that show usage in various sources.

At the end of the day it’s the word that stood out in the list for you and now you bet you will notice it because of this discussion. I discovered two new words that I never heard of yesterday just while in the process of looking at another word to explain the meaning to someone and it’s unbelievable what one can learn and also see the correlation. I am considering adding them to the next list and these words are indeed regional. Although the meaning of the words surprised me I had never heard or seen them written before until yesterday.


-MP.

 

[Caonabo]

En este momento estoy visitando RA y después de preguntar a varios amigos cuál es el término que usan, todos estamos de acuerdo con 'azafata'. Siendo que hay algo de debate, creo que sería mejor preguntarles a las personas en ese puesto cómo les gustaría que se llamaran. Al final de la semana, cuando regrese a RD, les preguntaré a las personas que trabajan en el avión qué es lo que les gusta que se les llame.

 

[Marianopolita]

En este momento estoy visitando RA y después de preguntar a varios amigos cuál es el término que usan, todos estamos de acuerdo con 'azafata'. Siendo que hay algo de debate, creo que sería mejor preguntarles a las personas en ese puesto cómo les gustaría que se llamaran. Al final de la semana, cuando regrese a RD, les preguntaré a las personas que trabajan en el avión qué es lo que les gusta que se les llame.

You may want to go back and read the posts again. Thus far everyone has said azafata was their primary word. However, it does have a different meaning in terms of the new chosen word for the job title which is now flight attendant. The Spanish equivalent is asistente de vuelo whereas azafata means stewardess which has fallen out of usage per the dictionary and to some extent it is true now when I think of it. Flight attendant is used a lot in English. Even the captain would say- ‘flight attendants please prepare for take off’.

I am not sure asking a bunch of strangers in their role what they would prefer would help. In the Spanish-speaking world whatever people say they will continue to say it in my opinion.



 -MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

Here is an example of the usage of agrícola in an article I read today.

Los disturbios ocurrieron en una zona agrícola del norte de Mérida, en las localidades de Caño La Yuca, El Pinar Tucaní, Palmarito y Arapuey, donde un grupo de personas saqueó los comercios y algunos camiones.

http://www.abc.es/internacional/abc...na-andina-venezuela-201801122204_noticia.html



-MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

Here are some more examples of word usage (all words mentioned in this thread):


The article as well is very interesting. It's about one of the worst airports in the world. It's absolutely primitive!

Olvídate de tomar un refresco: no hay bar. La terminal de salidas (llamar terminal a ese cajón de ladrillo es otorgarle una categoría superior a la que merece) no tiene tamaño para que se formen colas, así que los pasajeros se arremolinan a voces en torno a los mostradores.

Por último, el aeropuerto de Lubumbashi existe, pero podría no existir. Hay un edificio pero no sirve de nada. No hay luz, ni bares, ni tiendas.

Si te entretienes mucho tendrás que correr detrás del avión de hélice cuando enfila la pista de despegue.

Hay
Cola
Enfilar- the verb form of the noun fila




http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2018/01/13/5a57ad5f46163f106b8b4602.html


-MP.

 

[dv8]

You may want to go back and read the posts again. Thus far everyone has said azafata was their primary word.

diario libre today:
https://www.diariolibre.com/mundo/e...embros-de-tripulacion-durante-vuelo-JH8999784
El papa Francisco casó hoy a una azafata y un azafato durante el vuelo en el que viajaba desde Santiago de Chile hacia la ciudad norteña de Iquique (...)