TOP 40: CURIOSITIES OF THE SPANISH LANGUAGE (PART 1)

April 23 is around the corner and it is one of the happiest days of the year for me as a Spanish as a Foreign Language Teacher. Any guesses about this date? Is the Spanish Language Day! This year will be the anniversary #402.

Today we celebrate Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra who contributed to the Spanish Language with his masterpiece: “The Ingenious Nobleman Sir Quixote of la Mancha”. This novel was Published in two volumes, in 1605 and 1615, and consolidated our Language. The author is well known around the world Literature, sharing honors with Homer (Greek writer who wrote The Iliad and the Odyssey), Dante (in Italy) and Shakespeare (England). Cervantes died in Madrid, on April 23^rd, 1616. Every year and every Spanish Speaking country on this date celebrate “Language Day”.

To celebrate this important day, for Spanish as a Foreign Language students, I have written this article with the 40 curiosities of the Spanish Language. This publication is the first part of 19 curiosities, the others will come in a second part.

Enjoy the reading, as much as I have writing it!!

ONE: Have You noticed this language is called both Spanish and Castilian? Are both names correct? Well, according to the Royal Spanish Academy, the most commonly used is SPANISH, the reason is because this name was attributed to the unification with the SPANISH Crown and by this name the term it was established in Hispano-America, and the term “Castilian” is only used for the language used in the Realm of Castile. On the other hand, we have the synonyms. Sometimes, when you have used all demonstrative pronouns in a paragraph, you might appeal to use Castilian as a synonym for “Spanish”, and vice-versa, avoiding repeating the same words.   

TWO: Spanish is the modern sequel of vulgar Latin and other ancient languages, but only after the third century and after the fall of the Roman Empire, vulgar Latin and some of its extended variants from all the territory, the Romance Languages. For this reason, Spanish belongs to the same linguistic family as Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Occitan and last, but not least, Romanian. Actually, there are some Romance Languages as Sardinian, Friulan and Retroromance, and some other. 

THREE: The Spanish, in its beginnings had two accents: Acute that we use nowadays, and the Circumflex accent that remains in other Romance Languages like French (for more details, please read the article form  April 20^th of this blog).

FOUR: In relation with Castilian, in former days it was known as “Christian” because the Moor (an Arabic and Muslim community that invaded Spain from the eighth century to the fifteenth century) used this word to establish a difference between those who spoke Castilian, and those who spoke Arabic Language. 

FIVE: It is believed that the first written Spanish document was written between 974 and 978 in an abbey in Leon, Spain, where a monk wrote a kitchen list of expenses. The text was named “Nodicia de Kesos” and listed mainly the use of cheese used by the monks. 

SIX: Spanish language has about 70% words in Latin, although more than the 85% everyday language has a Latin origin.

SEVEN: Spanish lexical originated from Vulgar Latin, and it has some influences from other languages such as Greek (used mostly in scientific and mathematic and prefixes for medicine and jurisprudence) Arabic, Gothic, Romance Languages, Náhuatl (language the Aztecs ),  Quechua (language of the Incas) English and others.

 EIGHT: More than 4000 words in Spanish come from Arabic domination. Approximately this would be an eight percent of the actual vocabulary.

NINE: In the History of our Language, from Proto-Romance to Proto-Castilian, most of the word “loans” for the Pseudo-Spanish came from Germanic Languages mostly from a variation of the Goth Language called Visigoth (a branch of Germans who came to Spain between 200 and 700 A.D) This “loans” included verbs, names (Ricardo, Alberto, Rodrigo, Guzmán, Alvarado, Guerra o Guerrero, Estrada, some became Last Names), colors white  (blanco), war terms (such as spurs, guard, helmet).

TEN: When most medieval texts appear, it was easy to see a huge influence of the Arabic Language and related with new technologies (Algorithm, logarithm, Zenith, Nadir, Azimuth), government terms (Governor, bailiff, executor, almojarife). Commercial terms (store, carat, at weight, hundredweight), and at the same time the last names ending in “EZ” mean “son of” Like Martínez that means “Son of Martin”.

ELEVEN: With America’s Discovery, appeared new terms coming from Indian tribes. These are: Tomato, cocoa, tobacco, maize (or corn), ceiba trees, rubber, canoe, hammock, hurricane. After the black slaves from Congo (Africa) to Latin America. other words appeared like: banana, marimba (musical percussion instrument), fatmouth (Bemba), guineo (a kind of plantain), guaro (alcohol obtained from sugar cane), motete (a bundle).

TWELVE: Spanish Language acquired some terms from Italian. During the Golden Age we get a lot of words related with music (sonnet, piano, baton). 

THIRTEEN: At the end of the Medieval Ages (1700) and the Illustration (1800), Spanish Language takes from French Language terms related to fashion: (Tisu, corset, toupee), gastronomy (bonbon, restaurant and Foie gras (liver spread) …), and management (desk, ID card).

FOURTEEN: "Satisfy” comes from Latin “Satis” that means quite or enough.  

FIFTEEN: Most words that start with H, in Latin, were written with "F". Is the case :filius (son/ hijo) o filu (/ thread/hilo) ferro (iron/hierro).

SIXTEEN: Many word in Spanish that have the “MBR” particle, come from Latin words with -MIN-, like hunger (faminem), female (feminam), hombre (hominem), light (luminem), wire (amarinem) or hill (culminem).

SEVENTEEN: Huge Tome (“Mamotreto”) is something very heavy or thick. This term comes from Greek “μαμμοθρεπτος” (mammothreptos) and Late Latin “mammothreptus”.

EIGHTEEN: “Miss you” comes from the Portuguese expression “achar menos” where “Achar” means “look for”.

NINETEEN: Those who have suffered with the “subjunctive mode” are very familiar with this two words: Maybe ( quizas/quiza) and Hopefully ( ójala). The adverb maybe (quizás/quizá) comes from the Latin expression “qui sapit” and it means “who knows”. On the other hand, “hopefully” comes from the Arabic Word لو شاء الله (law sha'a Allah) and it means “God may”.

Written By Adriana Martinez

THE SPANISH BEYOND THE RULE: THE ORIGIN OF WORDS ACCORDING TO ITS POSITION (ACUTE, GRAVES, ESDRÚJULAS AND SOBRESDRÚJULAS).

“-Ju Oh ¿Did you understand the accents in Spanish?

-Yes, Teacher Adri, but I have questions:

                           ¿Why are they, graves, esdrújulas?

-                                    Because Spanish grammar says so” “

This is a very poor answer coming from a Spanish teacher, right?

There are four main events that led stress in acute, graves, esdrújulas y sobresdrújulas words in Spanish. These are:

   Flexible Language: Both Greek old and Latin are flexible languages. They characterize for their many prefixes and suffixes and these are made by bending some words. This way Spanish is a romance and flexible language and at the same time merging. 

   Pitch Accent: Pitch accent is a feature of certain languages whereby variations in pitch (linguistic tones) can be used to differentiate words, but where the potentially distinctive tones are restricted to only one or two syllables within a word – as opposed to fully tonal languages like Standard Chinese, where each syllable can have an independent tone.  This kind of stress is used in Ancient Greek in which the stress is given by the voice pitch, where the vocal chords tense with the stressed syllable. In Latin the stress is more obvious in the voice prominence and the effort when breathing. Both influenced in some way the spoken Spanish use of stress, especially Latin.

  Grammatical Emphasis: Vulgar Latin is the language that originated phonic oriented words, in higher percentage than Arabic and Ancient Greek. At first, accents didn’t have any marks or signs, unlike ancient Greek. Only until the Middle Ages, the Spanish language mark the stresses in stressed words when necessary

     

Acentuation Origins:   Most of the stress in Spanish words come from Latin, both ancient and vulgar.  It is well known that Latin went through periods where the stress was musical, and others where it was of intensity. What we must know is that the stress in words depends in the number of syllables it has. Words with acute stress aren´t common in Latin, unless they show symptoms of elision or suppression of syllables. Latin doesn’t have as many acute words as Greek does. This can be study in ancient Greek phonetics: acute, grave and circumflex. With regard to the sobresdrújulas, they owe their origin to the use of gerunds and the imperative to which unstressed pronouns are added. Such characteristics become more visible in ancient Latin than in Greek old.

    The Words ending in any consonant except -n or -s are stressed on the last syllable, these are called acute. Words ending in a vowel, -n, or -s are stressed on the next to the last (penultimate) syllable. These are called graves.  When words end in any letter, and have the stress in the second to last syllable, are called “Esdrújulas”. When words end in any letter and have the stress in the third to last syllable, are called “Sobreesdrújulas”. 

    In synthesis, the stress in Spanish words (acute, graves, esdrújulas y sobresdrújulas) come from both: Latin and ancient Greek. They are transformations from these languages. 

Written by Adriana Martinez

STUDENTS QUESTIONS: GENDER IN WORDS

STUDENTS HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT ART ( EL ARTE)  AND THE ARTS (LAS ARTES)

In Spanish we have few words that belong to both genders. 

“Art” (arte)  belongs to this group. Because this peculiarity, most students who want to improve their Spanish as a Second Language, get confused with the gender. They don´t know if the Word “Art” is female or masculine.  

We have to make clear that the Word “art” is in grammar an ambiguous noun, because it can be used either as a he as a she. 

When the Word Art is singular, it is a masculine Word. If it has the pronoun “Las”, it is feminine and it is plural.   

Besides this effect, gender change may be a current belief of Euphonia (an acustical effect). 

 

“Art” begins with a Keynote A, so “La Arte” implies Euphonia. For this, we tend to think this is the reason the masculine specific article is singular. But we’ve already noticed that a demonstrative feminine article is also used: “Las Artes Plásticas” (Plastic Arts).

In conclusion, we can say that this noun is masculine in its singular form (Scenic Art “El Arte Escénico), and feminine when plural. We also notice that most of the time it is singular and masculine. Its feminine when used with few adjectives, as in: Plastic Arts or Scenic Arts, and so on.  

About “El Arte” or “Las Artes” meaning, in its singular form, ART ( el arte)  is abstract and ARTS ( las artes)  relate to some artistic disciplines. 

a    

     

Written by Adriana Martinez

30 CULTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LATIN AMERICA AND SOME ASIAN COUNTRIES. (PART 1)

After hearing “Peculiar” expressions, cultural perceptions get evaluated according to its context: polite or unpolite, or courteous and discourteous; and life is not only in black and White in my humble opinión. There is a huge variety of nuances that nurture us. Hereto I chose to write this page, to show those “Peculiarities that make us different”, and make us so interesting. 

Enjoy Reading!

1. THE GREETING AND THE FAREWELL: Generally in Latin America, we all are very affectionate when we say hello. We tend to pat a lot (in arms and in the back), hug and kiss the other person. It is part of our daily contact. When we meet for the first time, we usually tend our right hand and we kiss goodbye on the cheek (a single Kiss, unlike in Spain and some places in Brazil, where they give two kisses) normally between women or with the opposite sex. When there has been some interaction with this person, we kiss on the cheek and hug and say goodbye in the same way. In some Asian countries, the greeting is more distant, with an inclination or reverence, sometimes shaking hands.

2. DAILY BATH: We Latin Americans bathe in the morning, basically because we like to go fresh and clean for work or for school, give a good image. In some parts of Asia, they bathe in the evening hours, because that is the time they are at home "Your holy or happy place" where you feel comfortable, it is a habit to end the day in a pleasant way.

3. SHOES: In Latin America we don´t remove our shoes to enter our houses. This isn´t a western tradition. We don´t see this necessary, because almost all our belongings are approximately 50 centimeters above ground level, although from time to time, some people do it, but it is not a usual practice. On the contrary, in some regions in Asia, it is a rule to remove your shoes to enter in our house, our friend’s, temples (Buddhists), hospital rooms and in some traditional tea houses and restaurants. In some Asian countries, shoes are filthy, they attract particles and filth from the street. There is also another reason: In olden times, your furniture was reachable from the floor (the bed, the table, the desk, etc.)

4. PUNCTUALITY: In Latin America we usually aren´t very punctual. We tend to relax with the time we were summoned at a visit. For you, we Latin Americans, go in slow motion. The waiting margin for "good manners" is from 15 to 20 minutes, but there are people who extend that time to 30 minutes or more, it also depends them. On the contrary, Asians tend to be extremely punctual. For them, time is money! (Time is valuable), therefore, everything is done fast, there are no seconds to waste.

5. ACCOMPANY ME: Latin American women like to go out in groups, not only going to the disco or the bathroom. This is very usual, running an errand its better if we go with somebody, so we have someone to chat to. This is why we go most of the time with a friend. It is not a very usual practice for some Asians, like for example: in China if a girl needs to go to the bank, she goes on herself. 

6. THE TIP: Western people like to tip service. It is approximately 10% of the total value of the bill, only if we feel well cared for. If we had a bad service we don´t or we leave a little less. There are people who do not and that is badly seen. It’s taken as a symptom of greed, stinginess or poverty. Let's say that the tip is an encouragement to be served well. In opposition to this practice in some sectors of Asia, the tip is not given because it is assumed that it is already included. Customer service is very important. 

7. THE DRINK: In Latin America we use to accompany our meals with something to drink: Fruit juice, sodas, water or other kind of drinks so we can digest food. If we don´t drink something, we feel like food is stuck in our throats. We think this drink is important for a good digestion. It is known in Asia they don´t  drink  anything  with their meals because they believe this can be bad for their digestion. With water it´s different: water is free and you may have as much as you want. 

8. PICTURES AND FOOD: It is very unusual to take pictures to the food in Latin America, unless, of course, you are a culinary reviewer, or you belong to a "Hallyu" (Neologism that refers to South Korean popularity) or "Otaku" (Subculture based on anime and some Japanese cultural practices) movement, or maybe you have  Asian friends, teachers or acquaintances  from Taiwan, Philippines and others. In these countries it´s very common to see young people making memories by taking photographs of their meals. When they shoot food is because they’re happy and pleased.  

9. AT THE TABLE: It is very common for the Latin to express loudly how great a meal is: Wonderful! Exquisite! Tasty! Delicious! etc. We don´t make noises when we chew, except for children because they are learning. We don’t speak while we chew because it’s so disgusting to see the food inside the other’s mouth and it also can make us loose our appetite. To prevent this, we swallow the food before we speak. “loose lips, sink ships”. There are some people speak with their mouths full but they are uneducated people. On the contrary, in Asia, people are used to make noises when they eat, this is a way to show appreciation to the host for the food. In some countries, speaking with the mouth full is ok, and it´s part of the rules.  

10. SHARING THE FOOD: In these countries it isn’t very usual to eat from the same plate. It is an individual perspective. Although it is not considered bad manners or impolite, it can be seen "Weird", maybe if you do, you will be the victim of some inquisitive and disapproving looks whether you are Asian or not. It's a shame because sharing, the collective look is so pleasant and it's always nice to taste the other people's dish.

11. BURPING AFTER EATING: We don´t usually eruct publicly, we prefer to do it privately or quietly. If we can´t halt it, we feel very ashamed and we excuse ourselves. Maybe elder people (60 o 70 years old) do it in their family environment, but it isn´t polite. Unlike some oriental countries, it is a costume to show to the host that the food was great, that they are at ease or comfortable and they are happy. So, what for us is bad manners, for others is a compliment to us and our hospitality. (Careful for these cultural misunderstandings, this is where many wars have begun).

12. SPITTING IN THE STREET: In Latin America it isn´t polite to spit in the streets, in fact is unpolite. We associate the act of spitting with downtown people, sickenss, drunkenness (being drunk) or paupers. It is a horrible act. But in some Asian countries it is acceptable, mostly in men. 

13. THE OPENING: When we have someone’s house, apartment (department in Mexico), or office opening, it’s traditional to bring a good wine, flowers (not chrysanthemum, lilies, gladiola because these are frequently used in funerals) or something for the home:  kitchen utensils, decorations for the living room or the dining room, something for the office. Warning: it doesn´t matter how close we are to this person, we NEVER! give toilet paper as a gift. It´s weird, unusual and can mean “you smell badly” or it’s like insinuate the owners of the property that they are filthy or lack of cleanliness. On the other hand, in some Asian countries they do. For example, in South Korea, one of the most appropriate gifts for this event is the toilet paper. This comes from the Korean term (Hangul)  “풀리다” ( Phul- li-da) and its used as an omen for “Good progress” for home or the office prosper, and long last and harmoniously. 

14. ¡HEY CHINESE! Unfortunately, Latin Americans do not differentiate if you are Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai or Malaysian, unless they have had any contact with people from different Asian nationalities for a long time. Although it can be annoying, people will always address you “Hey Chinese! Even if you are not. For common people in Latin America having almond shaped eyes mean “CHINESE” no matter your nationality because they are always confused between Thailand, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, etc. It’s simply because the Chinese are the most known and biggest ethnical group. In fact, at the beginnings of the XIX century a big group came to work in the train systems and they settled. I believe that this may happen to an Asian trying to distinguish a Peruvian from a Brazilian or an Argentinian from a Paraguayan, we are different. 

15. EXCUSE ME: When traveling amongst the beautiful Latin American countries, you´ll hear most of the people passing through on the subway or on public transportation always saying: "Excuse me / Pardon me! / Sorry". This is very common, it is a rule of Courtesy. In Asia, no said because there is a high demographic (too many people) and people collide with everyone and pass on. 

Adriana M. Martinez Castro . Profesional en estudios literarios. Profesora de español como lengua extranjera nivel intermedio y avanzado. Fundadora de “ESPAÑOL VIVO”.  Apasionada por la enseñanza del español. Amante de la literatura en general.  Curiosa por antonomasia. Adicta al café y al chocolate blanco.

                      onlinespanishespanolvivo@gmail.com

30 DIFERENCIAS CULTURALES ENTRE ALGUNOS PAISES ASIATICOS Y AMÉRICA LATINA (PARTE 1)

Luego de escuchar de  locales y extranjeros, las percepciones culturales “Particulares” que se tiene de una u otra cultura. La gente tiende a evaluar según su contexto de “buena o mala educación” de “cortés o descortés” y en mi humilde opinión, la vida no está dada en blanco y negro. Hay una pluralidad de matices que nos enriquecen como personas y culturas. Puesta esta situación, decidí escribir la  presente publicación, con el fin de dar a conocer esas “Particularidades que nos diferencian” pero que a su vez, nos hacen tan interesantes.

1. EL SALUDO Y LA DESPEDIDA: En América Latina en general somos muy cariñosos cuando saludamos. Tendemos a tocar mucho, abrazar y besar a la persona.  Es parte de nuestro contacto diario. Al  conocernos, acostumbramos dar la mano derecha y nos despedimos de beso en la mejilla  (un solo beso a diferencia de España y algunos lugares de Brasil, que son dos) normalmente entre mujeres o con el sexo opuesto. Cuando existe cierta interacción con la persona, saludamos de beso en la mejilla con un abrazo y nos despedimos de igual forma.  En algunos países asiáticos, el saludo suele ser más distante,  con una inclinación o reverencia,  a veces dando la mano.

2. EL BAÑO DIARIO: Los latinoamericanos nos bañamos  en las horas de la mañana porque nos gusta estar frescos para ir a trabajar o estudiar, dar una buena imagen para los demás. En algunas partes de Asia se bañan en las horas de la noche, porque esa es la hora en la que están en casa “Su lugar  sagrado o feliz” donde se sienten cómodos, es un hábito  para terminar el día de forma agradable. 

3. LOS ZAPATOS: En América latina no nos quitamos los zapatos para entrar a nuestras casas, al igual que el resto de occidentales. No lo vemos necesario, tal vez porque  casi todos nuestros enseres quedan a un aproximado de 50 centímetros sobre el nivel del suelo, aunque de un tiempo para acá, algunas personas lo hacen, pero no es una práctica usual.  Por el contrario, en algunas regiones de Asia, es una regla quitarse los zapatos para entrar a nuestra casa, la de nuestros amigos, a los templos (budistas),  a las habitaciones de los hospitales y a algunos restaurantes y salones de té tradicionales.  Para algunos países en Asia, los zapatos están sucios, traen partículas y suciedad de la calle. Además, está el hecho que antaño,  la mayoría de sus enseres estaban a la altura del piso (cama, mesa, escritorio) etc. 

4. LA PUNTUALIDAD: Normalmente no somos puntuales en América Latina. Es una situación cultural.  Solemos ser muy relajados  y de hecho para ustedes, nosotros vamos en cámara lenta.  No hay verdadero afán. El margen de espera de “educación” son de 15 a 20  minutos, pero hay gente  que  amplía ese tiempo a 30 minutos o más, depende también de la persona. Por el contrario, los asiáticos suelen ser muy puntuales, al extremo. Para ellos ¡el tiempo es oro! (El tiempo es valioso), por eso, todo lo hacen rápido y a tiempo. 

5. ACOMPÁÑAME: Las mujeres latinoamericanas les gusta salir en grupo y no me refiero a ir a la disco o al baño. Lo anterior, también práctica muy usual, es decir, si necesitamos ir a hacer una diligencia al banco, o a algún otro sitio, nos gusta  tener compañía para hablar por el camino (durante el trayecto) por eso siempre vamos con una amiga. No es una práctica muy usual para algunas asiáticas, por ejemplo en China si alguna chica necesita ir al banco, va sola.

6. LA PROPINA: Al igual que el resto de occidente acostumbramos a dejar propina. Un aproximado del 10% del valor total de la cuenta, sólo si nos sentimos bien atendidos. Si nos ofrecen un mal servicio no lo hacemos, dejamos un poco menos. Hay gente que no da propina pero  es mal visto, síntoma de avaricia, tacañería o pobreza. Digamos que la propina es un estímulo para que nos atiendan bien.  En oposición a esta práctica,  en algunos sectores del continente asiático, la propina no se utiliza porque se asume que ya está incluida, además que para ellos,  la atención al cliente es lo primordial.  

7. LA BEBIDA: En América Latina ya sea al desayuno, almuerzo o comida acostumbramos a tomar alguna bebida,  jugo de fruta (Zumo), gaseosa (Soda),  agua u otros líquidos con el fin de “pasar el alimento” sentimos que si no es de esta forma, se nos atasca,  es decir, no habrá una buena digestión.  Así mismo, cualquier bebida tiene un costo, así sea agua. Por el contrario, algunos países de Asia no tienen esta práctica, para ellos  beber algo especialmente con el almuerzo no es bueno para su estómago, para su digestión y con relación al agua… es gratis en los restaurantes, puedes beber la que desees. 

8. FOTOS Y COMIDA: En América Latina no se acostumbra a tomarle fotos a la comida que vas a ingerir, a menos que seas un reseñista culinario o pertenezcas a un  movimiento “Hallyu” (Neologismo que hace referencia a la popularidad surcoreana)  u “Otaku” (Subcultura  basada en el anime y en algunas las prácticas culturales japonesas) o en su defecto, tengas amigos, profesores o conocidos asiáticos.  En estos países y en otros como Taiwan y Filipinas los jóvenes en general acostumbran a fotografiar sus comidas. No por banalidad, es más bien para recurrir a los recuerdos, cuando hacen una fotografía suele ser porque son felices y quieren recordar el momento.

9. EN LA MESA: El latino por lo general expresa lo delicioso de un plato de comida diciéndolo en voz alta: ¡Que delicia!, ¡Está sabroso! ¡Que rico!  ¡Que ricura! Etc. No acostumbramos a hacer ruidos con la boca cuando comemos, sólo los niños lo hacen porque aún están  en proceso de aprendizaje. Tampoco hablamos con la boca llena, es de mal gusto ver la comida de la otra persona en la boca mientras departe, nos quita el apetito. Para evitar tal situación, nosotros tragamos nuestro bocado antes de hablar, si tenemos la boca llena no hablamos. Existen personas que si lo hacen, pero normalmente pertenecen a un sector social bajo. Por el contrario en Asia, la gente acostumbra a hacer ruidos cuando come,  es una forma de hacerle saber al otro, que eso que está comiendo es delicioso y les gusta. Con relación a conversar con la boca llena, en algunos países es  muy usual, parte de la regla. 

10. COMPARTIR LA COMIDA: En estos territorios no es usual  comer del mismo plato o compartir los alimentos, nosotros tenemos una perspectiva un poco más individualista.  Aunque no se considera descortés o de mala educación, puede verse “Raro”. Tal vez si lo hacen,  serán víctima de algunas miradas inquisitivas y reprobatorias seas o no asiático. Es una pena porque eso de compartir, la mirada colectiva es tan amena y siempre da curiosidad conocer a que sabe el plato del otro. Aunque tal práctica tiene un sentido más de compartir, a comparación de los latinoamericanos que somos menos dados a compartir de nuestro plato. 

11. ERUCTAR TRAS COMER: Nosotros no eructamos en público, sino en privado. En tal caso que no podamos atajar un eructo, solemos avergonzamos mucho y pedimos excusas por la situación, nos sentimos muy apenados. Tal vez los señores mayores (50- 60 años) lo hagan en su entorno familiar, pero no es una práctica muy bien vista, de hecho es de mal gusto. A diferencia,  en algunos  territorios orientales, la acción de  eructar está muy bien vista, digamos que es la forma que  tienen de expresar que se comió delicioso, que están a gusto o cómodos y son felices.  Es decir, lo que para nosotros sería un signo de mala educación y grosería, para ellos es un cumplido hacia nosotros y nuestra hospitalidad.  (¡Ojo! por estos malentendidos culturales,  empiezan las guerras).

12. ESCUPIR EN LA CALLE: En Latinoamérica no es bien visto escupir en la calle, de hecho es mala educación. Asociamos el acto de escupir con gente de bajo estrato socio-económico, enfermedad, embriaguez (borrachos) o indigentes. Es una actitud Terrible. Pero en algunas zonas de Asia es una práctica aceptada, sobre todo entre hombres y no tan jóvenes. 

13. LA INAUGURACIÓN: Cuando tenemos la inauguración de una casa, un apartamento ( Departamento/ México) o una oficina, acostumbramos a llevar un buen vino, unas flores (Evitar los gladiolos, los crisantemos y los lirios, son flores de funeral) o algún objeto para el hogar como: utensilios de cocina, decoración para la sala o el comedor, o la oficina instrumentos relacionados con la misma.  ¡Jamás!, por más cercanos que seamos,  regalamos papel higiénico. Es algo raro, poco usual y hasta puede relacionarse con una indirecta de “mal olor o similar” es como insinuarle a los dueños del inmueble que son sucios,  o pecan de falta de aseo.  Pues bien, en algunos países de Asia lo hacen. Por ejemplo en Corea del sur,  uno de los regalos apropiados para este tipo de eventos es el papel higiénico. La práctica viene del término en coreano (Hangul)  “ 풀리다” ( Phul- li-da) que se usa como augurio de “Buena marcha” que la casa u oficina prospere, una vida larga y armoniosa. 

14. ¡HEY CHINO!: Los latinoamericanos no pueden diferenciar si eres japonés, coreano,   tailandés o malayo, a menos que hayan tenido contacto con personas de diferentes nacionalidades asiáticas por larga data.  Por ello, aunque molesto siempre te dirán: “¡Hey Chino!”  Así no lo seas. Para las personas comunes de América latina, el hecho que tengas ojos rasgados es sinónimo de “CHINO” sin importar tu nacionalidad y sin apelar en ningún modo a la discriminación. Simplemente se debe a que los chinos son el grupo étnico más conocido en este territorio, de hecho una de las primeras oleadas llegó a principios del XIX para trabajar en los ferrocarriles y  terminaron asentándose.  Pienso que esta situación sucedería de igual forma en países asiáticos si quisieran diferenciar a un peruano de un brasileño, o a un argentino de un paraguayo por ejemplo, nuestras características distan bastante. 

15.¡DISCULPE!: Al viajar por las hermosas tierras latinoamericanas, se puede ver  que la mayoría de personas que te rozan en el metro o en el transporte público te dirán: “Permiso/  ¡Disculpe!/ ¡Lo siento!” Aquí es una pauta normal, una especie de norma de cortesía. En Asia no se ve esto, debido a que como son países con índice demográfico elevado (Mucha gente) ya es normal chocarse con todo el mundo y continuar su trayecto. 

¡¡ Espero hayan disfrutado la lectura!!

Adriana M. Martinez Castro . Profesional en estudios literarios. Profesora de español como lengua extranjera nivel intermedio y avanzado. Fundadora de “ESPAÑOL VIVO”.  Apasionada por la enseñanza del español. Amante de la literatura en general.  Curiosa por antonomasia. Adicta al café y al chocolate blanco.

                      onlinespanishespanolvivo@gmail.com

THE HOLY WEEK IN SPANISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES

The Holy Week is the anual christian commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This is why it is a very heightened religious activity period. It begins with Palm Sunday (The entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem) and ends with Easter Sunday (on this day the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated and for this reason the Christian Religion adquires sense). The date for the Holy Week celebration is variable (between March and April) because it depends on  the lunar calendar. The Holy Week is preceded by Lent (40 days after Ash Wednesday, where we remember “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust”). The most important days of this festivity are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday (or Black Saturday), and Easter Sunday, when we remember the Crucifixion, the Paschal Vigil and Resurrection. During this week, you can see in the streets different religious demonstrations where they stand out: the Via Crucis and Passion of Christ, and Processions.

EATING: CUSTOMS OF THE HOLY WEEK

To commemorate the Major Week (anothername for the Holy Week), every country changes its usual diet for the established by religión beiefs, focusing in a very austere type of food, specially on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, where christians tend to practice fasting (it means eating only once in a day) or abstain from certain foods like red meats (ox, beef, pork, lamb, or goat or any cold meat). For that matter, family basket is full of many types of fish and seafood, vegetables and fruit.

 For this celebration food like Garlic Soup, the Vigil Stew (in Spain), Fanesca (A casserole meal with many ingredients) (in Ecuador) and Dry Fish bread soup (in Honduras), are the most craved. Amongst breads and buns we have chipa (in Paraguay), cassava fritters and coconut rice (in Venezuela) and Easter doughnut (in Argentina). Latin America is privileged for its various climates, and the fruits are perfect for this celebration: pear and chayote marmalades (in Chile), Torrejas with Honey (in El Salvador), Salad Water (with fruits and lettuce) and lettuce in sugar wáter (in Mexico). The desserts for this occasion are rice pudding, sweetened figs and sweet homemade bread (in Costa Rica), and the sweet beans (in Dominican Republic). Although as central figures of this event we have: El Chupe (a kind of a soup) of Good Friday (in Peru), Salt dry fish with coconut rice with raisins (in Colombia) 

BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS DURING THE HOLY WEEK

FASTING: People who are used to fasting for this time, according to the canonical code must be between 18 and 59 years old. Those who do not classify, must practice red meat abstinence.

SEXUAL RELATIONS: Although Catholic Church hasn´t forbidden them for the Holy Week, tradition teaches us  that sexual contact is dangerous because you may fall in the risk of “Sticking together. This is a conviction that comes from partens, grandparents and so on. It is thought that this belief goes back to the Middle Ages, where sexual intercourse for pleasure was considered a sin.

RED COLOR:  It is of importance not wear red clothes. Satan is represented in red. It is better to wear black clothes because it makes reference to grief.

CUTTING YOUR HAIR: its is said that if you cut your hair on Good Friday you may get a very healthy and beautiful hair.

YOU SHOULD NOT GO OUT AFTER 3PM: There´s a belief that going out after 3pm on Good Friday is unadvisably, (3pm is the hour Christ Died)  because it always rains very strongly and anything can happen.

NOBODY GETS MARRIED ON A GOOD FRIDAY: It’s God Son´s death, so it is bad luck.

DO NOT BATHE IN RIVERS: Because you might turn into a fish. This myth comes from small towns in Northern Colombia. For some you mustn´t even take a shower on Good Friday.

DO NOT TOUCH A WOMAN: It is a common thing for the country people, to not touch, Kiss, caress, etc  a woman, because “Great illnesses or men sexual impotence may occur”. 

DO NOT CLIMB A TREE: In some Central American countries, the Elder forbid their grandchildren any type of game during the Holy Week. They might not climb a tree for they can turn into monkeys.

TO BORN IN A GOOD FRIDAY : It is considered bad luck. This belief appeared in the 21st century after Pope Jean Paul’s death. It was said that the new pope would have a dark soul and under his command, the anti Christ would be born. According to urban legends, theAnti Christ would be born on a Good Friday, Jesus’s Crucifixion Day; for this reason many people pray for their children not to be born on this day.

SOME PROVERBS RELATED TO THE HOLY WEEK

SEEING IS BELIEVING: When the apostles told Saint Thomas that Jesus would come back from the death he didn’t believe. When Jesus of Nazareth was ressurrected, according to The Bible, He went to meet his apostles and rebuked his skeptical follower because he needed to see and touch his wounds to believe.

MEANING: Give only credibility to those facts we have witnessed and not through gossip or what others say. And be skeptical when someone ensures something we don’t know about. 

I WASH MY HANDS: Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judes, disregarded the popular decisión to crucify Jesus. By the Passover, the authority had given the crowd the chance to save one of those condemned to die, and the people chose Barabbas instead of Jesus, the "king of the Jews."

MEANING: the act of shying away from a given responsibility.  

JUDAS´S KISS: If you call someone Judas (whose name isn´t Judas, of course), you are meaning  this person is a traitor. What apostle Judas Iscariot did to Jesus of Nazareth, is a symbol of disloyalty, then and now. According to the Gospels, this apostle told his crew where was his master for 30 talents of silver, so He was captured and crucified.

MEANING: To make a gesture, apparently loving or friendly disguising treason or lie.

CRYING AS A MAGDALENE: This expression addresses to Mary Magdalene, one of the women who accompanied Jesus everywhere and cried heartbroken when Jesus was executed.

MEANING: It alludes to crying a lot or very often .

I hope you enjoyed reading!

Written by Adriana Martinez