Posted: Sunday, June 2, 2013 2:10 am
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Updated: 2:32 am, Sun Jun 2, 2013.
technicianonline.com
Visiting Argentina is something that few Mexicans do, and even fewer the amount that live here. I was born and grew up in Mexico, which is why I speak Spanish how I learned it over there. Upon arriving to Argentina I realized that the ways of speaking between the two countries are very different. People quickly realize that I am Mexican, according to them, by the way I speak. It’s quite interesting to see so many differences that a single language can have and now I know that Spanish IS very complex. Even though I myself grew up with a family that only spoke Spanish to me there are times where I don’t understand the Argentineans, and it’s not because I don’t understand Spanish but because their way of speaking is completely different. Or rather, the Spanish is understood, but there are words thrown in there that I’ve never heard in my life. Obviously these phrases include the commonly known “che” and “boludo”.They also speak in vos and not in tú (different ways of saying the 2nd person singular of verbs), which is very different from my way of speaking. These differences can be explained by the influence that Italian has had in Argentina, as many words and traditions here come from Italian.
On the other hand, Mexico is more of a mix of Spain and the indigenous cultures. In Mexico, many of the words used there come from nahuatl, the native language of the Aztec. To be able to compare the Spanish in the two countries it is necessary to look at the history of each country and to consider the populations there are today. For now, I have given some examples of words that for me are completely different between the two countries:
Various Words that I have encountered here…
English: Argentina—Mexico
Shirt: Remera- Camisa
Kid: Pibe- Chico (Chavo)
Short for "pebete" which also means kid. Used originally for a pasta with aromatic powder, it began to be used commonly to refer to adolescents.
Girl/Chick: Mina-Chica (Chava)
From “femmina” the Italian word for woman.
Soda Water: Gaseosa- Agua Mineral
Work: Laburo- Trabajo
From the Italian word “lavoro” meaning work.
Pen: Birome- Lapicero
From the word “biro”, the Italian word for pen.
Bus: Bondi- Autobús
From a dialect of slang commonly used among the youth, known as Lunfardo. Actually comes from Portuguese, from the word “bonde/bondinho” that they used for trolleys. A trolley company (Jardín Botánico) began in Brazil in 1876, and because of its great influence, the Argentineans began to use the word “bondi” for their buses.
Thief: Chorro- Ladrón
From the Spanish word “chorar” which is a word commonly used in Spain (instead of the more common “robar”) for “to steal;” the word “chori” is also used in Spain for thief.
Police/cop: Cana- Policía (chota)
From Lunfardo of unknown origin.
All of these words are very important and I have had to get used to saying these so that people don’t look at me weird when I speak. It is a very unique and interesting experience to be here and be able to live and to witness the differences of Spanish by my own account!
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Sunday, June 2, 2013 2:10 am.
Updated: 2:32 am.