|
 |
Mexican telenovela interesting usage | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| rasputin Triglot Newbie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5969 days ago 21 posts - 24 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: German, Italian, Zulu | Message 1 of 24 26 June 2010 at 10:30pm | IP Logged | ||
|
Hey, Spanish speakers:
An interesting thing I observed the other day: I was watching a Mexican telenovela... those Spanish-language soap operas. I heard an interesting usage that rather surprised me. The story was this: An exceptionally beautiful young woman of about 24 gets accidentally left behind at a convenience store when her tourbus takes off without her. She is frantic and terrified. To make things much worse, the guy behind the convenience store counter starts terrorizing her with vicious, knowing, crude sexual overtures. He is portrayed as being fat, dumpy and homely while she, of course, is svelte and fashion-model gorgeous. Anyway-- She turns to him and bitterly spits: ¡Lárguese! ("Scram! Get lost! Clear off!") and ¡Muérese! ("Drop dead!") But I notice she uses the Formal Ud. form! Even though she is being sexually accosted by a vicious clerk. Why would she use the polite form... in such a situation of duress? Wouldn't "¡Lárgate!" and ¡Muértate! have sounded harsher, more (desirably) insulting? Rasputin in South Texas Edited by rasputin on 26 June 2010 at 10:37pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Juаn Senior Member Colombia Joined 5347 days ago 727 posts - 1830 votes  Speaks: Spanish* | Message 2 of 24 26 June 2010 at 10:35pm | IP Logged | ||
|
¡Lárgate! would have denoted familiarity with the addressee.
¡Lárguese! is harsher, as it should in this case. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| psy88 Senior Member United States Joined 5593 days ago 469 posts - 882 votes Studies: Spanish*, Japanese, Latin, French | Message 3 of 24 27 June 2010 at 1:02am | IP Logged | ||
Right. The informal would imply being more familiar or closer to the person-the very thing she would want to avoid suggesting. If you keep watching the telenovelas you will see that the formal form of address is used as a sign of respect or courtesy. At some point a person may invite the other to use the informal. Using the informal form with an adult that you do not know is considered disrespectful. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tennisfan Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5362 days ago 130 posts - 247 votes Speaks: English*, Italian, Spanish Studies: German | Message 4 of 24 27 June 2010 at 6:14am | IP Logged | ||
|
I think rasputin's point is that if someone is assaulting you, what's the point of being respectful by using "usted" instead of "tu"?
Correct? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tractor Tetraglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5455 days ago 1349 posts - 2292 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, Catalan Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 5 of 24 27 June 2010 at 9:34am | IP Logged | ||
In addition to respect and politeness, the polite forms can be used to create distance. She doesn't want to be on familiar terms with him. Edited by tractor on 27 June 2010 at 9:39am 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Liface Triglot Senior Member United States youtube.com/user/Lif Joined 5860 days ago 150 posts - 237 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish Studies: Dutch, French | Message 6 of 24 27 June 2010 at 10:15am | IP Logged | ||
|
I think it's so interesting, the insults thing with the T/V distinction. It's just rare because normally when you hear people insulting each other they're on close terms.
I remember the first time in German when I heard "Sie ARSCHLOCH!" (You [formal] ASSHOLE)! I was like... wait, you can use that with the formal form? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Kubelek Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland chomikuj.pl/Kuba_wal Joined 6854 days ago 415 posts - 528 votes Speaks: Polish*, EnglishC2, French, Spanish Studies: German | Message 7 of 24 27 June 2010 at 11:51am | IP Logged | ||
|
You've never been called by your full name by your mom when you were naughty? A kid knows he's pushing it when he hears a juicy "Jonathan Matthew Smith! I'm talking to you!". I think it's a similar concept.
In Polish we address strangers as Pan/Pani, sort of like Sir/Maam. It doesn't stop me from saying 'spieprzaj pan!' from time to time if a stranger is pestering me ;) Edited by Kubelek on 27 June 2010 at 3:56pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| rasputin Triglot Newbie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5969 days ago 21 posts - 24 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: German, Italian, Zulu | Message 8 of 24 27 June 2010 at 11:59am | IP Logged | ||
Yes, tennisfan, this was my point. 1 person has voted this message useful |
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
