Gas Station Robbery report. Notice the use of words.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Ecos del Sur would hardly qualify as a representative of Dominican newspapers. I doubt most Dominicans (not living in the immediate vicinity of where it's published) have heard of it.

I have never heard the term "armas negras" used to mean firearms. It's either "armas blancas" or "armas de fuego".

I did not claim that Ecos del Sur was a great newspaper. I was merely commenting on the writing style, which I found droll enough to mention.
The current issue features an article about a Haitian who hired another Haitian versed in witchcraft to et his wife back. Seems she had run away.

There was a beheading.

Por Benny Rodr?guez

Barahona.- Tib? Mitidi?, de 50 a?os, es un obrero haitiano que trabajaba en una loma del distrito municipal de La Gu?zara y, al parecer, hac?a trabajos de hechicer?a.

El extranjero se comprometi? con un compatriota en hacer que su mujer que lo abandon? volviera a la casa, pero la mujer, no identificada, no volvi? al hogar, por lo que al no cumplir su paisano, acompa?ado de otro le llev? la cabeza.

El hombre, quien estaba desaparecido desde el pasado viernes, fue encontrado por un sobrino Ernet Mitidi?, de 32 a?os y amigos con la cabeza cercenada en una loma del referido distrito municipal, conocida como El Montazo la ma?ana de este domingo.

El joven extranjero quien dio parte a la polic?a en el destacamento de la comunidad de La Gu?zara, dijo que a su t?o lo asesinaron dos compatriotas suyos, a los que identific? solo como Cristian y Botao, quienes emprendieron la huida.

Narr? a los agentes depuestos en el referido destacamento policial que Cristian le pag? a su pariente RD$ 1,200 al occiso para que le hiciera un trabajo de brujer?a que hiciera que su mujer, la cual lo abandon?, volviera a la casa.

Sin embargo, el malogrado hombre no cumpli?, por lo que Cristian en compa??a de Botao lo llev? a la propiedad de Ram?n Gil?, de la loma conocida como El Montazo, ubicada a 6 kil?metros de La Gu?zara, donde le cort? la cabeza.

Seg?n el sobrino Cristian amenazaba frecuentemente a su t?o con matarlo si la mujer no regresaba a la casa como hab?an convenido trabajo por el que el occiso recibi? como pago RD$ 1,200.00.

El obrero haitiano Mitidi?, de 50 a?os, quien resid?a en la finca del hacendado identificado solo como Tito, ubicada en la loma El Fundo, de la referida comunidad de La Gu?zara.

Se inform? que debido a lo lejos que est? el lugar donde el extranjero fue asesinado por sus compatriotas, las autoridades no pudieron ir para examinar el cad?ver, por lo que lo har?n la ma?ana de este lunes con m?dicos forense quienes practicaran una autopsia y se ordenar? la sepultura del cuerpo, debido al avanzado estado de putrefacci?n.




Here is a reference to "armas negras" in a Venezuelan blog. The term is common in Mexico City, where I once lived.


https://elblogdenaldoxx.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/armas-negras-florecen-en-venezuela/

 

[Virgo]

Here is a reference to "armas negras" in a Venezuelan blog. The term is common in Mexico City, where I once lived.


https://elblogdenaldoxx.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/armas-negras-florecen-en-venezuela/

Best I understood they are referring to ILLEGALLY OWNED weapons. In Spanish the term "mercado negro" (black market) means the trading or exchanging of goods outside the formal channels, and often illegally. For example, in the case of the dollar exchange rate, often there is an official rate, set by the government, and a "black market" rate set by informal/illegal traders. Likewise, in sports events often one can buy tickets through the "mercado negro" when the ticket office has ran out. From reading the text, I believe that is what they are referring to.

"armas negras" meaning firearms is completely foreign to me. If it is used in that sense anywhere it is probably outside the mainstream.

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

"armas negras" meaning firearms is completely foreign to me. If it is used in that sense anywhere it is probably outside the mainstream.

Well, the article I cited seems to be using it to refer to pistols, both legally and illegally owned.
Spanish is spoken in 23 countries as the official language, so perhaps the term is not used in the DR. No one has a clue about what a tlalpaler?a is. They don't know the difference between an escuintle and a huehuenche.
They cannot tell you the difference between a chichuahuense and a chihuahue?o.

I used to ask my students what this sentence, which any Brit would understand, meant.

"Some bloke nicked my brolly in the loo."

I rarely got a complete translation.

 

[Mauricio]

It seems obvious that armas negras in the article refers to illegal (fire)arms. That's what the article is about, that many in Venezuela carry illegal weapons, waiting for the papers or just to not go through the tedious process.

Since I ALSO have google: 'armas negras' seems to be a term used when talking about knives without a sharp edge for practicing purposes. Obviously a term invented as an opposite of 'arma blanca'.

 

[Marianopolita]

this is the article: http://www.ecosdelsur.net/2016/02/barahona-desconocido-intenta-asaltar.html#.VrikSfkrLcc
not a newspaper as such, just news site, one of many.

i also find syntax quite... laborious... in some articles here. it's either a lack of narrative skill (when texts seems like spoken word) or a certain tendency to over intellectualize something (most obvious in "opinions" section). sometimes i need to read a paragraph few times to understand what it means. sometimes miesposo needs to read it twice and he is a well educated native speaker.

lately my favourite newspaper is el caribe: simple, to the point and very tabloid like in the range of subjects. listin diario is always good quality. diario libre is at times rather pathetic and full of mistakes. hoy and el nacional are both decent.

Well, ecosdelsur.net seems like just an internet website with news so the journalism is not top notch as Xavier acknowledges. However, it should still meet some type of basic standard and we see this all over the internet. The lesser quality of writing depends on the source.

I understand what you are saying. When I consider DR newspapers if I read them some don’t even make the running. From the get go Diario Libre and El Nacional are out. Hoy Digital is good for its simplicity however, I also find it has too many spelling errors for a newspaper and some syntax that seems unusual (to me) but I know many read it because of the level. The only one I can read is List?n Diario.

El Caribe is borderline prensa amarillista in my opinion and I don’t even remember that it’s an option.

Regarding numbers in Spanish newspapers, it could be a nightmare but my suggestion is to read the numbers out loud. Read the number as you see it every time and it gets easier.


-MP.

 

[Virgo]

From the get go Diario Libre and El Nacional are out. Hoy Digital is good for its simplicity however, I also find it has too many spelling errors for a newspaper and some syntax that seems unusual (to me) but I know many read it because of the level. The only one I can read is List?n Diario.

El Caribe is borderline prensa amarillista in my opinion and I don?t even remember that it?s an option.

A reputable polling firm recently made an analysis of story headlines in several DR newspapers (Listin, Hoy, Diario Libre (DL) and El Nuevo Diario (ND)). They found that Hoy was extremely biased in favor of the Government. Listin is almost as biased in favor of the government. DL was only slightly biased in favor of the gov. And ND was nearly neutral.

By that measure, El ND is the "best" information source among DR newspapers. But this is only about how they choose their stories. It has nothing to do with the quality of their writing (from a language PoV).

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

This might be useful:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1,000,000,000

 

[dv8]

Articles rarely meet the minimum journalistic standard of addressing the five Ws - Who, What, When, Where, Why. It makes it very difficult when compiling the news stories for DR1. We always end up having to do detective work to fill in all sorts of gaps.

i red this article here: http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/02/11/dos-hermanitos-mueren-durante-fuego-bani
and thought of your comment. it reads like something my maid would narrate. and she is illiterate.