Spanish is Not Universal
Hi! I was looking over the questions and answers, and getting into it with a few 
, but one thing you all have to know is Spanish Is Not Universal. Mexicans speak different from Los de Puerto Rico. Los Buricas lo hablan en forma distincta de los de Cuba, etc. etc. Example: my girlfriend is my novia, mi china or mi p***. My daughter is my hija, or mi hembra. My dad is me papa, mi papito or me mai. Just something for everyone to keep in mind. Keep up the Good Work!!!
9 Answers
My guess is your command of Spanish is restricted to your area and relatives, and you are not used to other registers. Formal and literary Spanish is the same everywhere, and the few regional variations only cause trouble to those who can only speak Spanish at a limited fixed level, but not to those who have a wider vocabulary and knowledge of the language in depth. I've personally never had any trouble speaking or understanding to anyone from any country so far.
En el país de los ciegos, el tuerto es el rey.
Se cree el ladrón que todos son de su condición.
Spanish is universal for people with good education, not for those who can only speak the simplified and limited jargon used in their gang, where only 5% of a normal person's vocabulary is required to sound cool. Learn proper Spanish, and you'll be able to communicate with everyone, everywhere (even if they only use a limited street vocabulary).
Just so everyone knows who is at the side and wondering what the heck is going on...this guy has been giving me a hard time all day...insulting me and everything. i wrote a good long response in spanish and he flagged it. he's been hating on me all day because i was born into spanish and i speak spanish in the normal way people speak spanish. i'm sorry if i offended anyone for telling them that my novia is my puca. or that i told u all that people just dont talk like that. i'll keep my observations to myself and you all can speak spanish like lazarus does. Tenga buen dia a todos. wink
Buenos días a ti también. Espero que te atengas a tu palabra y te guardes para ti tus comentarios, si vas a seguir así.
Si en el futuro quieres contar con mi apoyo, empieza advirtiendo que lo que escribes lo haces porque te gusta, pero que la ortografía no te interesa lo más mínimo, así que mejor comprobar cómo escribir correctamente lo que pones. Otra cosa que deberías hacer es mencionar el lugar y en el ambiente en el que vives, por si a alguien le interesa saber cómo hablan en la calle (y estoy seguro de que a muchos les interesará), pero debes dejarlo claro, porque muchos están intentando aprender español por razones profesionales, y uno no puede llamar "cabrón" a otro en una entrevista de trabajo, mientras que en la calle, nadie te va a atacar porque tu español es "demasiado formal". Si quieres enseñar jerga, advierte a la gente de que la jerga que tú usas se usa al menos en tu zona, para que no se crean que así habla todo el mundo en el planeta.
Haz esto, y estarás ayudando a unos pocos a los que les interesa la jerga. Sigue enseñando cómo hablar español al estilo "Boyz n da Hood" como si todo el planeta hablara así, y pienso seguir escribiendo mensajes para advertir a aquellos que no saben qué les estás enseñando.
@Marianne...ok here's a good one that doesn't exist in english...i'm cooking rice and beans and my rice is pega'o...which is to say that the bottom got hard....that's a good thing...
There are several things that should be obvious. !0 the majority of the members are English speakers trying to learn Spanish (or speakers of some other language [Chinese, Arabic, Greek, etc.] whose common language is English). We do, of course, have some members whose first language is Spanish (and their presence is much appreciated) who are either simply being helpful or who wish to improve their English.
You started the thread (and your title and first post were in English). Given only those two facts, as a matter of common courtesy, it is only natural to reply in English (even if that were not one's native language). In point of fact, that is what has happened. Now you suddenly become abusive and accuse those who responded (in fairly neutral terms) of ignorance and ill-will.
Just so everyone knows who is at the side and wondering what the heck is going on...this guy has been giving me a hard time all day...insulting me and everything. i wrote a good long response in spanish and he flagged it. he's been hating on me all day because i was born into spanish and i speak spanish in the normal way people speak spanish. i'm sorry if i offended anyone for telling them that my novia is my p***. or that i told u all that people just dont talk like that. i'll keep my observations to myself and you all can speak spanish like lazarus does. Tenga buen dia a todos.
@sandie...that's what i said to Laz and he got all offended and flagged me....said i used bad words...which he wouldn't know if he seen them. i din't use one bad one and he's mad
Only someone who is very ignorant about the languages (or very prone to exaggeration) would suggest that any language is the same wherever it is spoken. The key phrase in linguistic circles is "mutual intelligibility" (if persons A and B can carry on a conversation [despite their being from different areas] with no more than the occasional misunderstanding about particular words, they are said to be speaking the same language). An earlier response referred to the differences between the North an South in the USA, I assure you that the English of someone raised in the Bronx or Brooklyn differs from that of a person raised in Nassau County (although they are separated by fewer than 20 miles. There are at least a dozen well documented varieties of American English; I suspect that the figure of England would be closer to two dozen (without counting Wales, the Isle of Mann and several varieties of "Scots' English in Scotland). Japan (another fairly small country has, at least, half a dozen widely recognized "dialects".
Given the very extensive geographic distribution of Spanish speakers, it is hardly surprising that there are variation from region. \I have spent time in Mexico, Spain, Chile and Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and conversed with people from Argentina, Columbia and Ecuador and, except for the occasional word that was used differently, never had any real problem.
Todos hablabamos cristiano y nos entendimos.
I think it goes back to dialect, word usage, etc. I used the example a few weeks ago about how I grew up in the south and now live in the north. Ya'll vs. you-guys, you-ins, etc. This does not mean one person is anymore intelligent than another. I know that there are negative connotations with both the south and the north and for that matter all over the U.S. YES, we can understand what the other is saying but NO we do not use the same verbage or dialect. LOVE the STATEMENT of this thread!!
No No Se! Spanish is very universal! They use it in Spain, Mexico, Russia, Peurto Rico, Germany, America, Hawaii, Canada, Africa, and in South America!!!! 
And yes it is different, it is different because, just like all languages, have roots and origions. In some countries, spanish is alot stronger because it is more origional and strong there. In other countries that have mixed populations, such as Texas and Mexico, the Spanish language is alot weaker and is more basic and simple! The way language is spoken over many years, will eventually migrate into, maybe even, a whole different syle or way of speaking that certain language. It does not matter where or how Spanish is spoken or used, it still is Spanish, and it still comes from the exact same origion/root where/when spanish first began!
