Do native speakers understand and respect...?
In view of Heidita's thread regarding criticism, I am adding some thoughts about native speakers of any language.
Do native speakers of any language appreciate the variety of expressions in their own language? Do we accept expressions that are correct in one country but are not commonly used in our own country?
For example, if a Spaniard has learned British English, he will talk about "Taking a lift up to his flat". If that same Spaniard rents in the United States, he may be told that "lift" and "flat" are not correct English; he should say that he is"Taking an elevator to his apartment".
I find the same thing in Spanish. Having learned Spanish in Spain, Venezuela and Mexico, I sometimes unintentionally come out with an interesting combination of expressions.
Most native Spanish speakers are quite generous in their acceptance of vocabulary, unless a person has accidentally used a word that is acceptable in one country but is pornographic in another.
What experiences have you had?
Last week I used "chévere" when speaking with a Mexican friend, and he turned very serious and said "Never say that in Mexico. It is considered very low class." Of course, in Venezuela it's an everyday word!
Turning toward our answers on the forum, when the thread asks a question regarding expressions, should we qualify our suggestions by saying "In England it is common to hear..." or "In Argentina people say..." I know that many of you do that, but would it be helpful if we all made an effort to do that?
25 Answers
Mountaingirl said:
Last week I used "chévere" when speaking with a Mexican friend....
I, too, was told that "chévere" was unacceptable while in Mexico, but I learned the expression from a Puerto Rican teacher to mean a common way of saying that something was "great, nice, etc." Also, I saw a store called "Qué Chévere" in Guatemala (I was told that it meant "How nice.").
Funny how some words are used so very differently depending on where you are....take "coger" for example. 
Es un GRAN problema, lo más prudente es hablar formalmente, al menos hasta conocer el entorno que nos rodea.
Its clear that these differences can result in some colorful humor, as well as embarrassing situations. For me,working outside of the U.S. for so many years I occasionally catch myself saying discúlpame when I'm in the U:S. and "excuse me" when in México. As we see in the above posts, words and their meanings vary,not just by country but within the language as well. Our speech is always colored by our experiences.and try as we will, we will always come up with the phrase that will bring the occasional chuckle. The various levels of speech in all countries depends on education and association.
I know I have learned quite a few expression differences between my USA east-coast English, and British, which I had never heard before studying here. And I'm not young.
Sometimes it's jarring to give English help here, only to be corrected by another English speaker from another continent, and discover the answers are more relative than absolute. Jarring, but also delightful.
I'm glad I'm learning more about different English forms.
I'm resigned to learning a vast quilt of different Spanish forms here, and I'm not too concerned about it yet.
I find this is mostly a matter of experience. Most people who have never traveled much, or been exposed to other cultures, have pretty fixed ideas about what the correct way to say things is.
After years of traveling around, and having enjoyed the great fortune of meeting many people from many different countries, I have more or less developed an internal dictionary of "universal Spanish" and "Universal English", with cross-references to various regionalisms and locally unacceptable words. Even so, every now and then I still get surprises.
Most of the time, people everywhere have been very tolerant with this foreigner, and have been very kind about letting me know when an expression is not appropriate, or is used differently in a given place - so I wouldn't worry overmuch about it.
It is good, however, to be aware that such differences exist, and learning a bit about the local lingo certainly helps to avoid awkward situations when going to a new place. But unless you really travel a lot, study a lot, or have a fantastic memory, you can't expect to be absolutely safe and know all the local expressions all the time.
Last week I used "chévere" when speaking with a Mexican friend, and he turned very serious and said "Never say that in Mexico. It is considered very low class." Of course, in Venezuela it's an everyday word!
Very low class? Nah, don't' pay attention to such thing. I'm from Mexico and I do know that that word means 'cool', 'great' etc. in some South American countries. I can only talk for myself but I don't see it as 'a low class word' or whatever he put it as :/ maybe HE has a problem with that word but I bet he's in a minority, most Mexicans know what 'chévere' means even if we never say it, and don't have a problem with that word.
Anyway, Mexican people would probably say 'chido' or 'padre' instead of 'chévere'. If you had said 'chido' instead of 'chévere' I 'd have (kind of) understood why he said that to you: 'chido' is regarded as 'naco talk' over here and you would hardly encounter people of certain social/economic status using this word in their everyday speech (and never ever ever, jamás de los jamases y nunca de los nuncas 
, in a formal situation.) Mexico is a classicist country after all :/ and 'the way you talk' can put you in either one group or the other and treated as such :/.
I remember having gone "head to head" with another member on here about the proper way of saying something only to later find out that the source of our disagreement was due to the fact of having been raised on different continents. From that point on, when answering questions regarding English usage, I have tried to avoid speaking in absolutes and to be careful to make it known that my own experience with English is very centered on its usage in the Southern United States and Southeast Texas, in particular. Spanish is a bit trickier for me, as I am not always sure of the origin or extent of usage of a phrase unless I have actually taken the time to research such matters.
In any case, I think that the country of origin of the speaker is certainly useful information to know for the learner.
Interestingly enough, there was a thread that was closed earlier today because it made reference to a word that often (i.e. for many places) only has a vulgar connotation. Even so, the word is often used in a more innocuous manner in Mexico and though still a bit coarse, would probably not be considered (as) vulgar by most standards.
I endeavour to be understanding and gracious towards people who use americanisms i.e. words that are colloquial and specific to the United States of America but are not used in the U.K. or England; such as the ones Mountaingirl mentioned, lift v elevator or flat v apartment.
There are also distinct differences in spelling; The following are based on teh English model neither superior nor inferior just different!
to practise (verb) eg: He practised speaking Spanish every opportunity he could find.
a practice (noun) e.g. The doctor's practice had an excellent reputation in the neighbourhood.
I simply point out,on occasions, either in the posts themselves or in the comments section below that the English used in England differs from their example given so that people who may travel to England or USA will not be surpised by the difference or use the wrong expression inappropriately. I aim never to destructively criticise but constructively make people aware of any possible regional differences.
I see a lot of natives from other countries on language learning websites other than SpanishDict use very colloquial expressions such as: How you doing?How are things? (=¿Qué tal? ) without always having a true appreciation of the appropriateness of such language. so I simply point out that it would be acceptable to use that expression among friends but not at an interview or formal social ocassion.
I hope that we can, especially at Spanish Dict, continue to show a true spirit of respect, understanding and appreciation towards others on account of the variations and regional differences between the way our language is used in other countries. I like, no... in fact love, the informal colloquial expressions used in other countries like How's life? What's up? or G'day mate lol but would guide non natives to use them in appropriate ways rather than avoid using them.
A boss in England, for example in a solicitor's office, would probably not take very kindly to being addressed with ''G'Day, Mate!'' He or she would consider the employee/visitor was being impertinent (cheaky or even downright rude)
Language is how we communicate but also is and indication of who you are, the way you speak is the way you portray yourself, like it or not, it is a fact.
In the spanish speaking countries with the myriad of variations in idioms, colloquialisms and slang among them, one has to be careful about the use of language because what is acceptable in one place is unacceptable in another. Even as a native speaker of spanish, I have passed through embarrassing situations or misunderstandings in ordinary life in my own country, not considering other spanish speaking countries, just because of these kind of differences.
Common sense tells us to adapt our speech to our environment, whether that be the central market or the city hall, if we don't want to cause the wrong impression. Words like chévere, chido, and others, certainly can be used in some environments but will be unacceptable in others. Some words will be totally unacceptable in most situations in a country or the majority of its regions.
I think we must listen and observe carefully before we speak. Listening and observation will give us an idea about the language environment we are in. We then, can adapt our speech to that environment. Don't expect the group to adapt to you, it is you who must adapt if you want to be accepted and understood (basic rule of social life). A nation will not change its language for your convenience.
The world will treat us as they see us. Our speech is one of the ways that we are seen and judged by others. How would you like to be perceived?
I have lived in Spain and Peru, studied Spanish-Spanish and studied South American Spanish, and half of my family is from Peru, so I know my Spanish is a bit mixed up! ..
I try to be aware of where the phrase or slang I'm using is actually from, and I tend to use the Peruvian expressions whenever I can because they mean more to me. If I can't find a suitable one then I'll resort to standard or Spanish-Spanish.
..
This is actually one of my favourite things about SpanishDict - it's given me access to a whole range of Spanish slang, dialect and vocab from different regions which I may never have discovered otherwise!
Hi Patty, I am often surprised at expressions and really stunned that chevere should be lower class in Mexico, it is even known over here even though we don't use it.
"In England it is common to hear..." or "In Argentina people say..." I know that many of you do that, but would it be helpful if we all made an effort to do that?
Actually I often do that, in Spain we say...or I even ask: Where did you hear that expression or for which country do you need that word?
When I first started here it was a bit jarring to hear American ,or British-
People saying this or that word is wrong or right . I felt like jumping in and
waving a flag and throwing corrections hither and yon. I hope that in the
main I kept my powder dry , because we down here straddle both sides of the
cultural divide , we embrace words and phrases from both England and
the USA. And yet still remain a mystery to both camps . Because of our
incredible migrant intake over the past 50 years we have soaked up the
cultures and language structures from many hundreds of countries , this
may account for our ready acceptance of different and new words and their
many strange and colourful meanings , our language is a growing living
entity , it excites me to see how we can learn from each other and express
ourselves in these many wonderful new languages and cultures . I am very
happy to accept all corrections to my posts , that is why I am here , and if
you do not understand everything I say, or disagree with it , that is OK , we
are not here to be perfect ,but to enjoy our learning experience and each other
in the process , incidentally ,what in the name god is a "Spit bath" ?
Just picking up on different terms being offensive or not in different places. I was told of a story in the papers recently that a woman was chatting by e-mail to her friend and they were swapping recipes. They moved on to old English dishes that are no longer fashionable and they were talking about Faggots and wanting to find recipes on line, etc. The computer security system, being American, flagged up all sorts of warnings at IT and to her, threatening her with disciplinary action, and that she broke the IT code of practice, etc. She was even hawed up to her boss to explain. just goes to show the danger of what is perceived as offensive is perfectly normal somewhere else.
For those who don't know what Faggots, in the British sense, are. They are meatballs the size you your fist served in a rich gravy. Lovely and warming in winter. Luckily they are still seen nowadays. I haven't tried looking for recipes on Google. I think I might try and see what results I get ...
Feliz77 said
A boss in England, for example in a solicitor's office, would probably not take very kindly to being addressed with ''G'Day, Mate!'' He or she would consider the employee/visitor was being impertinent (cheaky or even downright rude)
Indeed know what register of language is important.
Last year I was in Philadelphia and my friend and I were standing in a queue in front of the reception desk to the hotel's restaurant. It was breakfast time and it was a bit hectic and waiting staff was running around like headless chickens. The waiter usher a couple of people in front of us into the restaurant and then turned to us and said rather loudly, "Are you guys next??" I was rather taken aback and mildly offended by the way she addressed us. I know "guys" is common in the States, but I would expect staff at a top class hotel to use slightly more appropriate language.
Another example: We were in a rather posh club in Wellington, New Zealand and again at breakfast, the waiter saw us entering the breakfast room and said, "All right, mate! Sit where ya like." The expression on his face did not show a friendly countenance. It was more indifference and lack of respect. This time I mentioned this at the reception and the receptionist was mortified.
I don't mind being call a guy, a chap, a bloke, a mate, sir, Mr, etc, etc. But I'm a stickler at using the right register of language at the right situation. It's sign of respect, not submission, but showing respect.
Turning toward our answers on the forum, when the thread asks a question regarding expressions, should we qualify our suggestions by saying "In England it is common to hear..." or "In Argentina people say..." I know that many of you do that, but would it be helpful if we all made an effort to do that?
This is a great reminder. We often joke about different English expressions. However, I have occasionally seen members become argumentative about which expression is proper.
I would probably have to give most people a dictionary if they ever visited my part of the country. That is, unless they have watched Rocky I through Rocky IV or V....or wherever the sequels stopped.
