Differences in Spanish as spoken in other countries

[bahamas]

guys i'm really into learning the spanish language and i'm also into looking at the cultural aspect of words used in spanish for example charco in cuba may mean puddle but charco in puerto rico may mean a small lake or pond. there similar but have different meanings depending on where you go that are different than the standard. This fascinates me. So i'm looking over different spanish slangs that i can find, like in cuba socio means friend or pal. in spain it means business partner.Or in DOM.REP- aposento is bed room in other places aposento means chamber.

What phrases or slangs in your country are different or may be different than ones in another.

[Rusty]

There are many such differences, and you don't have to go to a foreign country to hear variations in vocabulary.
I know four different words for a banana, and four different words for a child, because I lived in four contiguous countries. And I've since learned other words for these two objects just by participating in these forums.

The same thing happens with English. There are marked differences between the English spoken in America, Britain, Australia, Belize, and elsewhere. You may even find that your neighbor uses different vocabulary than you do.

The differences are vast and the list could go on and on. Some of these variations cause misunderstandings, much like what could happen if someone from England offered someone from the States their flat and neither was aware that the word is used differently in each country. The American would fret about how to respond to such a stupid offer, and the Brit would wonder why the Yank went on about cars and the lot.

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by Rusty

Some of these variations cause misunderstandings, much like what could happen if someone from England offered someone from the States their flat and neither was aware that the word is used differently in each country.

It's hard to beat the Englishman telling the USian that he's going to pop out to smoke a fag.

[Rusty]

Agreed.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by pjt33

It's hard to beat the Englishman telling the USian that he's going to pop out to smoke a fag.

I'm sorry but I don't understand this last part of your post.
Because causally I did a little search about the fag meaning, I well, I'm not very sure if I'm write in this forums the meaning found, because the dictionary gave me as result a rudeness as meaning.

[Rusty]

You found the American English meaning, Crotalito.
You'll need to look in a British English dictionary to see what pjt33 meant.

An English word used in one place may have a very different meaning in another.

[hermit]

Right - in this case a humorous difference between BrE and NAme...

"To smoke" (slang), and "fag" are the important words here...

[ROBINDESBOIS]

Originally Posted by bahamas

guys i'm really into learning the spanish language and i'm also into looking at the cultural aspect of words used in spanish for example charco in cuba may mean puddle but charco in puerto rico may mean a small lake or pond. there similar but have different meanings depending on where you go that are different than the standard. This fascinates me. So i'm looking over different spanish slangs that i can find, like in cuba socio means friend or pal. in spain it means business partner.Or in DOM.REP- aposento is bed room in other places aposento means chamber.

What phrases or slangs in your country are different or may be different than ones in another.

That´s called dialects of the same language, some of those words were used in Spain centuries ago , if you say in Spain aposento now, people would laugh at you, but we understand it perfectly. And socio also has the cuban meaning in informal language. You see after all, they are not that different unless they take loanwords from their native language like in Ecuatorian etc...

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by Rusty

You found the American English meaning, Crotalito.
You'll need to look in a British English dictionary to see what pjt33 meant.

An English word used in one place may have a very different meaning in another.

Ok Rusty I got it the message, but still I have the doubt. If you consider that I can't the find the meaning in any dictionary, then in essence you can tell me a nearby meaning for identify that you are saying in that post, because as still I continue without find the meaning of the word, you know, I continue in the ignorance thus thing I don't like to be.

Please I will appreciate with you if you can give a nearby meaning of the word or phrase wrote in the last post.

[Rusty]

British English: fag = cigarette
American English: fag = homosexual

Smoke a fag.

[explorator]

The meaning of the word "socio", has in Cuba and in other spanish speaking countries near to the United States, interesting links with the english language. So the "canonic" spanish meaning for socio can be tranlated into english as partner, but partner is close in pronuntiation to the spanish galicism "partenaire", meaning pareja. From this two coincidences you arrive easily to the refered meaning. Anyway, in general, from the point of view of the spanish speakers from Spain the words in spanish-american have lots of meaning different from the european one, that have been made to close it to the english. In fact, the spanish-american is changing even it structures in grammar making them day after day more and more close to the english ones. So, here in Spain, we find strange hearing "estamos esperando por ti" (we are waititng for you) en vez de "estamos esperándote a ti" or "te ves muy bonita" (you look pretty) por "te sienta muy bien" or "estás muy guapa". There are lots of examples but to summarize I just wont to tell that the nearer are the spanish speaker countries to the cultural influence from the United States, the more similarities in words meaning and grammar structures has the language spoken.

[poli]

Originally Posted by Rusty

British English: fag = cigarette
American English: fag = homosexual

Smoke a fag.

cuídanse con la palaba faghomosexual porque es una palabra despectiva y homosexual es neutral.
Se compara con la palabra nigger para los African-americanos o blacks una palabra que se usa solamente con mucha cuidad si no quieren ofender.

[CrOtALiTo]

The fag word is very offensive in this case homosexual and fag are quite the same and they are a rudeness in English right.

[flamencoguy]

In many states in the United States, the word "fag" is legally considered hate-speech, which makes that word as bad as any horrible thing you can call a person of a different race, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc. in the eyes of the law. I'm not a lawyer, but I have heard that if someone is assaulted and hate-speech is used, it turns the crime into a much more serious civil rights violation. I used to say that word all the time as a youngster, calling my friends that when they did something stupid or silly. I regret that behavior and that word is pretty much erased from my vocabulary.

Now back to the original question and a little more lightheartedness:

En México, "Coger el autobús" significa algo muy diferente que en España. jajajaja

Also, in Andalucía, especially in the flamenco community, the word "prima" (cousin) is also used as an affectionate word for girlfriend, or any girl that is a friend. A lot of flamenco lyrics talk about how much the guy loves his "prima" and her kisses and he's so sad that she left him... Sometimes when the songs are translated into English, it sounds a bit odd and incestuous.

[poli]

One of the things you will find if you speak with people from different Spanish-speaking communities is that word meanings change from country to country and these changes sometimes cause misunderstandings which
on occasion may lead to fights.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yes Poli.

I'm agree with you, there're different countries where is spoken the same language but with different accentuation in the language although the language always will be the same at this case, for example here in Mexico always you will find the same language but with severals idioms or slangs, but well I think that result good for the person already you can learn more choices and add them in your vocabulary, in essence you can speak or learn wherever only you need to follow the Spanish rules.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by flamencoguy

Also, in Andalucía, especially in the flamenco community, the word "prima" (cousin) is also used as an affectionate word for girlfriend, or any girl that is a friend. A lot of flamenco lyrics talk about how much the guy loves his "prima" and her kisses and he's so sad that she left him... Sometimes when the songs are translated into English, it sounds a bit odd and incestuous.

"Prima" doesn't mean "novia" in any part of Spain, not even in Andalucía. The question you are talking about is that many gypsies marry with their cousins and many flamenco singers are gypsies, but it has nothing to do with the meaning of "prima" in Spanish, which means "cousin", in Andalucía and everywhere. Another thing would be the meaning of "primo", which can mean "sucker", too.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by irmamar

"Prima" doesn't mean "novia" in any part of Spain, not even in Andalucía. The question you are talking about is that many gypsies marry with their cousins and many flamenco singers are gypsies, but it has nothing to do with the meaning of "prima" in Spanish, which means "cousin", in Andalucía and everywhere. Another thing would be the meaning of "primo", which can mean "sucker", too.

I'm quite agree with your commentary, because inclusive here in México prima is your cousin.

Greetings.

[flamencoguy]

I completely understand that "prima" means "cousin" in all accepted Spanish. Also, I agree that there was a lot of marriage between cousins in the gypsy community, due to them being a very closed society. That obviously led to its use in traditional flamenco lyrics talking about an amorous relationship between two cousins. There is no disagreement there.

I know I've definitely heard "prima" used in Granada, Spain for "close friend (that wasn't a cousin)" and I only know the amorous connotation from flamenco lyrics. The last time I spent a significant amount of time in Granada was 2003, so maybe it was a passing fad.

While urban dictionary isn't the model academic source, I found similar meaning in the most accepted definition that includes a Spanglish sentence.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=prima

There are a lot of newer flamenco lyrics to be found that also use "prima" as a term of endearment or pet name. Some of them are just original poems/lyrics that people post on the internet. I have to imagine that some people actually use that language in real life and they are not talking about being in love with their cousins...

For something we can all agree on, "tío" in Spain, means "guy" or "dude" in a generic sense as well as meaning "uncle" as it does everywhere else. De acuerdo?

[poli]

Yes tío means guy/bloke in Spain. Tío in Peru means old man.