The word "tararear" - Just for fun (and learn).

Question

[Revise me English, please]
How do you say in English the word tararear? (to sing a song using the word tarara (or similar) instead of the proper words).

Today I watched this TV spot and I found it very funny. So here I bring you a little bit of Spanish immersion. (Let's call it a dip). This is the transcription:

Cuando le pides a un amigo una 0,0, y te trae la nueva Buckler negra de malta tostada y la nueva Buckler blanca de trigo... tu amigo no vuelve normal, vuelve un poquito más.. (you get that part) [...] Vienen días felices para el bebedor de 0,0. Nueva Buckler blanca y Buckler negra. The last message on the screen: Si sabes como vivir, puedes vivirlo todo.

Links to the video spot: link1, link2. (I hope it can be watched worldwide)

See how the word Buckler is pronounced. No wonder the lousy way spaniards pronounce the English language (including myself).

And here the translation for beginners (free translation):

When you ask your friend for a 0,0 and he comes back with the new black toasted malt Buckler and the new white wheat Buckler... your friend doesn't come back normal, he comes back a little bit more... (song part) [...] Happy days are coming for 0,0 drinkers. New white Buckler and black Buckler. Message on screen: If you know how to live, you can live everything. (to live here means to experience).

You're right, that pronunciation of "buckler" was lousy, but hillarious! jeje - rac1, Sep 23, 2013

Agreed, that it's not a good example, but, I think that's just a Spanish thing. The language is phonetic, and it seems culturally, Spanish speakers always pronounce it as they would, and don't even try to maintain the native sounds. Just their method. - rogspax, Sep 23, 2013

I'm not sure it's a Spanish thing. To me it looks like it's an English thing, i.e. English is the exception where all vowels are pronounced in odd ways that don't correspond to what's written and most other Indo-European languages are "normal" as it were. - Manity, Sep 23, 2013

There are just more vowel sounds in English than Spanish and "uh" the shwah sound doesn't exist in Spanish. English speakers don't have the sounds French uses for for u, eu, oe. - Jubilado, Sep 23, 2013

but in any country, you end up pronouncing a word in the way that sounds right for your country. In the UK, the English have their own pronunciation for many Welsh and Scottish placenames for example. - togtog, Sep 23, 2013

Answer 1

It should be translated to "hum"

I know humming is with your mouth closed, and we do that too, and it is called tararear.

OK?

;-D

¡Por fin está claro! - Jubilado, Sep 23, 2013

I didn't know "to hum" could be used for both (open and closed mouth). Thanks. - RelaxingCup, Sep 23, 2013

Hmmmm. I think we normally tend to think of humming as closed mouthed, but some might use that for singing the notes, but not the actual words, even open mouthed. I wouldn´t, but I don´t know if we have a separate word for that. I can´t think of one. - rogspax, Sep 23, 2013

I agree :) - ian-hill, Sep 23, 2013

I think that humming would be with a closed mouth. I don't think there is a verb in English for "to la la la along to a song" - togtog, Sep 23, 2013

Right. - chileno, Sep 23, 2013

In Spanish is the opposite, we don't(didn't?) have a verb for when you do "mmmmmm" :-D - chileno, Sep 24, 2013

Answer 2

Thanks for sharing that.

I still dont' think I understand tararear, but I did learn the term 0.0, which I assume means alcohol free, and the terms tostada and trigo as two types of beer terms in Spanish, which being a beer fan, was interesting. We'd call them black and wheat malts here.

Yes. We have "cerveza sin alcohol" (without alcohol) which still contains a little amount of alcohol (about 1%) and 0,0: completely alcohol free. But in a bar you would just ask for a "cerveza sin". It's not usual to be that specific when ordering. - RelaxingCup, Sep 23, 2013

Answer 3

The only time I've heard "tarara" used in a song is the old one associated I believe with vaudeville or gaite parisienne: "Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-de-ay!" But here's a link to the song:

Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-de-ay!

And a British version:

Mad Sals Dockside Alehouse

:) - ian-hill, Sep 23, 2013

All my life I thought it was "ta ra ra B U M ti ay" - ian-hill, Sep 23, 2013

British vs American English? ;) - rogspax, Sep 23, 2013

Maybe we are a little more crude this side of the "pond" :) - ian-hill, Sep 23, 2013

Ian, tah-dah-dah-boom -tee - ay ;) - chileno, Sep 23, 2013

your Spanih mind is playing with you now... :-D - chileno, Sep 23, 2013

Answer 4

For the record: I've just found a funny (and a little bit embarrassing) video on YouTube that tries to show what tararear is.

This is the link.

Haha, that's cute :) - Manity, Sep 23, 2013

Answer 5

In English we tend to say "tra la la" but I don't know a word that describes the action of replacing real words in a song with "la la la" or similar. Spanish seems to have a word for everything!

Maybe, but in spite of that we don´t have a word for "humming". :-) - LuisCache, Sep 23, 2013

I think they are called nonsense syllables. - Jubilado, Sep 23, 2013

Answer 6

This all reminds me of an old song (one year older than me!) where actual words are used but they sound like nonsense syllables: mairzy dotes and dozy dotes and little lamzy tivey a kiddly tivey too, wouldn't you? etc. Disfruten con la canción:

Mairsy doats

Hahaha - rac1, Sep 23, 2013