Making a total a** of yourself... (General discussion) Language Learning Forum

Making a total a** of yourself...
Tags: Confusion/mixing up languages
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Language Learning Forum : General discussion

27 messages over 4 pages: 1 2 3 4 Next >>

albysky
Triglot
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Italy
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Message 9 of 27

14 May 2014 at 12:18pm | IP Logged

I didn 't know that ,outside of spanglish , exists also something like sparwegian :-)
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Bao
Diglot
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Germany
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Message 10 of 27

14 May 2014 at 3:20pm | IP Logged

Solfrid Cristin wrote:

And I understand it in the case where the term describes
something they do not have or use in their language - why would they know the Spanish term for something
they do not use? But I fail to understand why they put in the Norwegian term when there are perfectly good
Spanish terms, known to them, which they have used for a lifetime before they came here.

Maybe it's easier to think of it as them trying to adjust to the fact that they're currently living in Norway, even when they are talking in Spanish - and that they are relaxed enough around you to mix those languages like with one of their group.
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Solfrid Cristin
Heptaglot
Winner TAC 2011 & 2012
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Norway
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Message 11 of 27

14 May 2014 at 5:27pm | IP Logged

Bao wrote:

Solfrid Cristin wrote:

Maybe it's easier to think of it as them trying to adjust to the fact that they're currently living in Norway, even
when they are talking in Spanish - and that they are relaxed enough around you to mix those languages like
with one of their group.

A wise answer, as always :-)
1 person has voted this message useful

sctroyenne
Diglot
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United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name
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Message 12 of 27

14 May 2014 at 5:35pm | IP Logged

Solfrid Cristin wrote:

I love these people to death, and although I find it very puzzling that they mix in
Norwegian terms, when there
are a bunch of Spanish equivalents, I keep my mouth shut. I have been in a room with
six Latin-Americans
who did not know the word for that thingimijiggy that you put under a pot or pan when
you put in on the table,
in order not to burn the table (salvamanteles). And I understand it in the case where
the term describes
something they do not have or use in their language - why would they know the Spanish
term for something
they do not use? But I fail to understand why they put in the Norwegian term when there
are perfectly good
Spanish terms, known to them, which they have used for a lifetime before they came
here.

I use a lot of English in my Norwegian too, but only if there is not a Norwegan term I
can use which s equally
precise. It was just my luck that I would jump at the 100th case, where it was a word
that was actually used in
their dialect.

It sounds like they're just code-switching. I used to wonder the same thing about the
bilingual Chinese-Americans I went to school with.
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Lakeseayesno
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Mexico
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Message 13 of 27

14 May 2014 at 6:15pm | IP Logged

Something about Solfrid's original post makes me fear I'd piss her off if we were to ever engage in conversation. I'm from a city where Spanglish code-switching is king (for example, a friend and I constantly mock each other saying "qué fashion que me saliste", where fashion means trendy or hipstery rather than fashionable), and on top of that I have a severe issue keeping English out of my Spanish (because I was raised on both languages).

Sad fact for Spanish learners: the language is evolving faster now than ever. I doubt that the Peru of 1990 used "grass" instead of "pasto", but now it's acceptable and everyone uses it. To be honest, I don't know what's harder--to study the language in itself or to keep up with the changes in every single variety of Spanish there is...
1 person has voted this message useful

hjordis
Senior Member
United States
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Studies: French, German, Spanish, Japanese

Message 14 of 27

14 May 2014 at 6:54pm | IP Logged

My friend from Perú assures me that they use both cesped and grass, but grass is more
common. She says they also use pasto.

For Spanish I'm going with the 'learn one main dialect(Mexican) but get a lot of exposure
to as many other dialects as you can' plan.
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Juаn
Senior Member
Colombia
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Speaks: Spanish*

Message 15 of 27

14 May 2014 at 7:11pm | IP Logged

Don't worry, if someone said "voy a cortar el grass" I too would think they were idiots. I wouldn't necessarily tell them so though.

I don't understand either many of the "Spanish" phrases used in this thread.
4 persons have voted this message useful

Solfrid Cristin
Heptaglot
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Norway
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Message 16 of 27

14 May 2014 at 7:36pm | IP Logged

Lakeseayesno wrote:

Something about Solfrid's original post makes me fear I'd piss her off if we were to
ever engage in conversation. I'm from a city where Spanglish code-switching is king (for example, a friend
and I constantly mock each other saying "qué fashion que me saliste", where fashion means trendy or
hipstery rather than fashionable), and on top of that I have a severe issue keeping English out of my Spanish
(because I was raised on both languages).

Sad fact for Spanish learners: the language is evolving faster now than ever. I doubt that the Peru of 1990
used "grass" instead of "pasto", but now it's acceptable and everyone uses it. To be honest, I don't know
what's harder--to study the language in itself or to keep up with the changes in every single variety of Spanish
there is...

Do not worry :-) It is not like I usually snap if I hear something like this. Like I said, it took 7 years before I said
anything - and I plan for it to take at least 7 years before I do it again. If I ever do it again... I am really
stressed out at the moment, which probably was the cause of my unusual behavior. :-)

One of those present left Peru in 2000, the other one in 2010. They both agreed it was called grass.

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