English in exchange for Spanish

[FUEGO]

I like the signs or notices that say different things in English and Spanish or scolding warnings written only in Spanish. At the local mexican restaurant, the bill says "No Incluye Propina" in bold lettering on the receipt just below the total, but nowhere does it say "Does not include tip". This restaurant serves 95% English speaking people I would say. Tipping is much less in Mexico and sometimes not required especially where service is relatively simple. So I guess that is why they make it clear to the Spanish speaking customers that tip isn't included.

There there's the inflatable jumping house they had at a community festival in our neighborhood park. Probably 50-60% of the kids are native Spanish speakers. In English the sign said "Be Careful". In Spanish it said "Be careful. No flipping or acrobatics. Do not climb the walls." Why the additional warning required for the spanish-only speakers?

[vicente solano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUEGO What does burrito mean to Spaniards? Little donkey/burro?

That´s it. But if you ask a Spaniard if he wants to eat a burrito the chances are 1. He´ll think you are kidding him. 2. he´ll be baffled. 3. he´ll have a vague idea that it´s some sort of Mexican food, which by the way isn´t too popular around here.

[vicente solano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonidas One thing we all learn from living in Texas is that just because someone is Hispanic does not mean they actually speak any Spanish. I know a lot of people named Sanchez and Martinez who can't speak a word of Spanish. Plus, after generations of being surrounded by English speaking culture, a lot of Hispanics who grew up in Spanish speaking households use a lot of slang words that aren't in any Spanish-to-English dictionary. Around here people parque el troque rather than estaciona la camioneta, we go to eat lonche and not almuerzo, and our floors are covered with a carpeta rather than an alfombre. And then there is Spanglish, which is a random smattering of English, Spanish and American slang Spanish all thrown in together by people who don't speak Spanish very well. A radio station will give a traffic report by saying, "Hay un choque just west of I-10 and Beltway exchange, tiene cuidado alli." Or, to steal a bit from George Lopez, "Sabes que tia? I went to the store to buy those zapatos that I liked, pero estaban gone! Todo! Estaban todo sold out!

You are absolutely right.

[vicente solano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI Absolutely. Adding to that, if they have Hispanic features they are not necessarily Hispanic. The color of my eyes, hair and dark skin tone causes some people to immediately start speaking to me in Spanish. I know some Spanish, but when it comes to my work at the police department, I let someone else handle that responsibility. Listening to that on the radio cracks me up!

Your avatar certainly belies your looks...!

[Leonidas]

Any one up to a Tex-Mex quiz?

1. Here's a typical greeting you'll never figure out from using el diccionario:

Quote:

Que onda buey?

2. What city is known as "San Quimas" (Phonetic, unsure on spelling).
3. Which city is called "El Chuco"?
4. What is La Feria
5. Who/What is La Placa
6. What is a cuete?

Una Negra Modelo to the first to guess it's correct translation. You have to come get it in person though.

[vicente solano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonidas Any one up to a Tex-Mex quiz? 1. Here's a typical greeting you'll never figure out from using el diccionario:2. What city is known as "San Quimas" (Phonetic, unsure on spelling). 3. Which city is called "El Chuco"? 4. What is La Feria 5. Who/What is La Placa 6. What is a cuete? Una Negra Modelo to the first to guess it's correct translation. You have to come get it in person though.

La Feria: Isn´t it some kind of fairground?
La Placa: The Police?
I think I´m better at English than at Mexican. At least I hope so given the hours I put in reading/listening to English.

[Leonidas]

Okay, only one contestant and I don't have to give up any of my birrongas (beer).

Most of this is not Mexican slang, but rather originated in El Paso, Texas in the period right before and after World War II when young Mexican American kids were struggling living in two cultures and not completely identifying with either. Mexicans called them pochos, which is "bad fruit", and the name eventually morphed into Pachucos. Long story short, they identified with not being accepted by either Anglo Americans or Mexicans and created their own culture. It included slang words that only they understood. The language of the Pachucos spread across the Southwest United States through the Pachuco subculture, into the gang subculture, and eventually throughout the Mexican American population as far away as Los Angeles and Chicago. The Pachuco culture has given way to that of the Cholos, but they share the same language.

Think of the differences in English as it is spoken in the US and England, or Australia, and you get the idea. Same language, but words take on different meanings in the usage, and some new words are created that are unique to one country.

Answers: 1. Que onda buey literally translates to something like How (are the) wave(s) young ox? In Tex Mex it is a common way to say What's up dude?

San Antonio is also known as San Quimas. El Paso = El Chuco

La Feria is money

La Placa is the police

Cuete is short for cohete or rocket and means a pistol.

One of my favorite aspects of Pachuco language is the use of rhyming, kind of like Cockney English but somewhat different, and in Spanish of course. Examples include, Al rato vato (= Later dude), or Que te pasa Calabaza?

There are plenty of people who speak proper Spanish in the U.S., and there are at least as many who speak Spanglish, but both groups, with the exception of new arrivals) will use Pachuco slang when hanging out with their friends and in other informal situations.

[FUEGO]

I think "Que onda buey" is slang used throughout Mexico and the US to mean "what's up dude" like you say. I know I heard it plenty while down there from the younger people and I hear it up here on the East Coast USA. Maybe they received the word from the Cholos?

[Leonidas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUEGO I think "Que onda buey" is slang used throughout Mexico and the US to mean "what's up dude" like you say. I know I heard it plenty while down there from the younger people and I hear it up here on the East Coast USA. Maybe they received the word from the Cholos?

That could be the case. Given that pieces of American culture get adopted all over the world, and all the cross border movement across the Mexico-US border, I wouldn't doubt that Pachuco language/slang is cropping up in a lot of Spanish speaking countries and especially Mexico. All of the MS-13 guys who wound back up in Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, etc., certainly took a lot of it back with them.

[vicente solano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonidas That could be the case. Given that pieces of American culture get adopted all over the world, and all the cross border movement across the Mexico-US border, I wouldn't doubt that Pachuco language/slang is cropping up in a lot of Spanish speaking countries and especially Mexico. All of the MS-13 guys who wound back up in Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, etc., certainly took a lot of it back with them.

That lingo hasn´t arrived here yet. At least in this part of Spain. With all due respect I find it awful.

[FUEGO]

Keep that Castilian pure!

[vicente solano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUEGO Keep that Castilian pure!

Hear Hear!