Localization in colloquial Spanish
I'm starting this thread to illustrate the wild variety of Spanish argot and colloquial sub-languages in the Spanish speaking world.
The hard unchangeable fact is that a Spanish language that is understood in most the Spanish speaking world is either a very poor and succinct language, or a very cultured one.
Here my example from Buenos Aires, old guard slang.
From tango El Choclo
«Carancanfunfa se hizo al mar con su bandera,
y en un pernó mezcló París con Puente Alsina.
Triste compadre del gavión y de la mina
¡y hasta acomodo del bacán y la pebeta!
Por vos yuyeta, cana, reo y mishiadura,
se hicieron voces al nacer con tu destino
¡misa de faldas, querosén, tajo y cuchillo
que ardió en los conventillos
y ardió en mi corazón!»
Translation to neutral Spanish -if there is some sort of thing called that way-
«El tango salió a recorrer mundo
y alcoholizado confundió la finura de París con el barrio bajo.
Triste compañero del seductor serial y las seducidas,
e incluso con lugar para el hombre fino y su "sobrina".
Contigo los petimetres, la policía, lo delincuencial y la pobreza
se hicieron de una voz y guiaron tu destino.
Problemas de faldas, luces de petróleo, cuchillos y peleas
ardieron en las pensiones pobres
y también en mi corazón»
I'd like other Spanish speaking fellows to add their own local flavour here so we can illustrate our English speaking fellows on how to exert prudence while learning Spanish argot and the importance to adopt some regional style.
3 Answers
In Uruguay we call a child
Niño, nene, chiquilín, chico, botija , pibe and gurí (gurisa).
Of course in documents, books etc. It Is mostly niño.
I personally use "chiquilín " a lot and I am sure it Is understood all over the Spanish--speaking world but I wonder if it Is used anywhere else.
I know in other countries they could use chiquillo, crío, chamaco,chavo and maybe many more.
Alec, in case you have not seen this, it is very, very funny and explains why we gringos have so much trouble...
I was always amazed on the little differences for the names of fruits and vegetables in different English variants. I think that courgette/zucchini is the only one that comes to my mind now (hence fashionable courgettis and zoodles).
In Spanish the differences are amazing, sometimes with four different names for one species. Cold-temperate produce tend to be the exception because they're not grown in half the Spanish speaking world (like manzana, grosella, pera and espinaca)
An example of this is beet. Beet is esencially a chard that has developed a tasty root, hence it has names on his own (remolacha in Spain and Argentina, for example), and names that derive from its genetic origin. As in Latin chard is beta (beta vulgaris is the scientific name of the common chard), in Mexico is called betabel; in other countries is call betarraga -etymologically: root chard- and there are variations. Even in Argentina it is called beteraba in Mendoza and San Juan, though that term is disappearing for being wrongly considered to be a vulgar.
A few of the fruits and vegetables with more than one name -changing with country or region-:
melocotón/durazno
albaricoque/damasco
plátano/banana
fresa/frutilla
piña/ananá
oliva/aceituna
elote/choclo/mazorca
judias verdes/chauchas
