Tertulia

[ROBINDESBOIS]

How do we say "tertulia" when we talk about those TV programs where people gather and talk about specific topics or just about things going on in the world?

Gathering programs???

[poli]

Tertulia es un término que algunos anglos prestan del español por falta de un buen termino en inglés. Sin embargo las palabras que usaría yo por tertulia son dicussion group.

[wrholt]

Depending on how the participants are organized and how the discussion is structured or moderated, it might be called a "panel talk/conversation/discussion", or a "talk show".

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I heard somewhere the expression "talking heads show". Is it ever used for this or is it something different?

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

I heard somewhere the expression "talking heads show". Is it ever used for this or is it something different?

Sounds like a tertulia on television to me! The word does not appear in the RAE, which I find odd.

[pjt33]

To me the obvious example of this on British TV is Question Time, which Wikipedia describes as a "topical debate programme".

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Thank you, Perikles!

Just one more question: would it be a commonly understood/used expression or should one rather choose a more formal one like Pjt's suggestion?

Originally Posted by Perikles

The word does not appear in the RAE, which I find odd.

But it does. Check here.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Perikles

The word does not appear in the RAE, which I find odd.

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

But it does. Check here.

Thanks. How strange. It was not there yesterday.

[Awaken]

The group on TV here in the States are usually referred to as a panel such as on Fox News or Meet the Press. I'm not sure what I would call these shows exactly. "Talk show" is the generic name for it I guess, but I've never really thought about it until now.

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

I heard somewhere the expression "talking heads show". Is it ever used for this or is it something different?

I've heard the phrase "talking heads" for sure in America to describe the people on the various shows. I haven't heard "talking heads show" though, not that it isn't used in daily speech. "Talking heads" usually has a slightly negative connotation.

[micho]

Originally Posted by pjt33

To me the obvious example of this on British TV is Question Time, which Wikipedia describes as a "topical debate programme".

But a tertulia is not a debate nor an argument. It may be a discussion in a friendly atmosfere (not allways...). The friendly ambient is a very important characteristic of a tertulia.

[poli]

Yes, that's right Micho. Discussion groups or discussion panels are the closest terms I can think of in English.

A tertulia is more likely to be found in an informal setting like someone's living room or at a cafe near a university than on TV.

[micho]

Originally Posted by poli

Yes, that's right Micho. Discussion groups or discussion panels are the closest terms I can think of in English.

A tertulia is more likely to be found in an informal setting like someone's living room or at a cafe near a university than on TV.

Yes. That is so!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by Awaken

I've heard the phrase "talking heads" for sure in America to describe the people on the various shows. I haven't heard "talking heads show" though, not that it isn't used in daily speech. "Talking heads" usually has a slightly negative connotation.

Thank you!

[Awaken]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

Thank you!

You're welcome. But it doesn't mean I am right. I could easily see people calling them talking heads show. I certainly knew exactly what you were talking about.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

It's always useful to have several points of view. I'm aware now of what I must take into account if I want to use the expression some time in the future.

[Elaina]

Thank you for introducing me to a new word. I had never heard it before.

Makes me think it is not a very common word and if I use it, maybe not many people will understand what I mean.

Should I or shouldn't I?

[poli]

I think it's common especially in an academic environment.

[Don José]

Originally Posted by Elaina

Thank you for introducing me to a new word. I had never heard it before.

Makes me think it is not a very common word and if I use it, maybe not many people will understand what I mean.

Should I or shouldn't I?

You can do it, I think it is a well known word.

People can say "ayer estuvimos de tertulia hasta las 12 del noche", just meaning they were talking till midnight.

Sometimes there may be a "tertulia con el poeta X", a meeting with a poet in which he will be talking with the people attending the event.

On TV debates, "tertuliano" is often used for the participants.