Ode to the Spanish Language
Trip Start
Sep 05, 2006
1
27
33
Trip End
Sep 04, 2007
Viña del Mar,
Chile
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Donīt get me wrong, I love English for three very good reasons and I loved my year in Switzerland where I got a glimpse into the German language with all itīs dialectal glory, but I love Spanish for the very opposite reasons that I appreciate German and English. I guess thatīs why they call it a romance language.
German is, and English can be, a very literal language. Thereīs no cushioning, no padding, no flowery words to make things sound prettier, itīs straight-forward and unforgiving. What you say is what you get. Words compound and multiply like rabbits until they melt into a string of incomprehensible (to a non-speaker) syllables that begin and end with a lot of rīs, dīs, sīs, and tīs. For example the dictionary (or diccionario in Spanish) isnīt a dictionary, itīs a Wörterbuch (word book). It just makes sense! Itīs great, really. And even when the language branches off into itīs mountain yodel-odeling dialects in the south, it still maintains itīs rigidly logical structure. You say what you mean. Thatīs it. Fabulous.
And thatīs why Spanish tickles me pink. It could be deemed the exact opposite. Not in word structure, but in the usage of the words. Take for instance, the instructions on a package of powdered soup. In English your package will dictate a logical order of instructions in as few words possible, maybe even with a couple illustrations all leading up to the final instruction- Serve Hot.
Spanish will also give instructions in a logical order, maybe even with the same consistency of illustrations, but will throw in extra adjectives like salt in a bowl of hot cazuela. It might say, ĻAdd some delicious vegetablesĻ or ĻEnjoy and dontīforget to smile,Ļ or ĻFeed to hungry bellies gathered round a well-set dinner table with your family and friends,Ļ or maybe even ĻWhy donīt you go ask the friendly neighbors over for a little soup and bread to converse and delight in each otherīs company.Ļ Iīm telling you, these packages get creative.
Oh, and Iīve got more examples. Just the other day I was running along a main street towards the beach when I was almost leveled by a student driver. But the thing is, this was no ordinary student driver- this was a ĻDriving Conquistador.Ļ Really, itīs no wonder that I almost had my legs amputated when thereīs a kid behind the wheel that feels like heīs Hernán Cortés conquering the Aztecs...
All of these are great but the moment when the mothers come to fetch their children after school is over is always my favorite. For obvious reasons, of course, but also because I get to listen to the moms and dads greet their children. When I was a kid I think remember distinctly that my dad usually varied between two nicknames ĻsquirtĻ and Ļyou little squirtĻ. My mom almost always said Ļsweetie.Ļ Here, when I return a child to their parents at the end of the day itīs Ļcomo esta mi vidaĻ(my life) or Ļmi corazonĻ (my heart) and of course Ļmi amorĻ (my love).
While Spanish and German have their good and bad traits, my heart still goes out to the learners of English... With all of itīs phrasal verbs, prepositions, homophones and extensive vocabulary, I definitely take pity on my students here from time to time.
