Thursday, April 20, 2006

Chilean - English words

I was thinking about how the english language (or more like it, the whole globalization thing I talked about a while ago) has progressively affected our language.
Some examples:

- Heavy: we use this word a lot, specially younger people, I think you use it as an expression also? Here at least, is used to reply to something "big". Example: "yeah, she got divorced and a week later she was married to another person, but pregnant to a third unknown one" (I'm just making an exaggerated story to show the point of the word), so the answer is like "wow, how HEAVY", but it's pronounced in a "chilean" way, more like ...mmmm well there's no equivalent...

- Light (curious that we use 2 opposites but not like opposites): well, of course all the "light" (diet) products, and also to refer to legally-blonde-type people, worried about superfluous (I think that's wrong said) things, do you use that? "she's so light, only worried about clothes and makeup and buying stuff". Well, it's pretty literal.

- Top of Mind: marketing slang, or market research also. Well, that 100% literal.

- "too much": something exagerated, excessive. Yes, it's literal, but it's a kind of snob expression. "yeah, the wedding was ok, but the decoration was a little too much"

- reason why: this is an annoying bussiness concept that I really hate . My ex-boss liked to say that (I worked in a market research company). "we have to think about the "reason why" of this study". yucks.

- well, there are some more obvious, as "e-mail" that we call it here just "mail" (not everybody, but a lot of people) and others that are almost generic like "walkman" or "personal stereo" (80's) and others that I can't think of now.

- In particular, I use some words that I've come to discover don't have a satisfying meaning in spanish: annoying and awkward, I even made E use them also. I also love the way they sound, I don't know why. Also, when someone says something unfinished or unconcluding I like to say "sooo...", or "hello!" in the same way you use it, as an expression, not to actually say hello, but more like "come on!!" you know?

Well, that for now, I'm having a headache right now so my brain isn't working all that well.

Oh! and today we have our 3rd therapy session, I'm pretty excited because we're going to make a "genogram" or whatever that's called. Therapists (yes, there are 2 of them) think the point is not to solve E's problems with my family but more to make US stronger, as a new family. They used the example of us being "plain white rice" (that's what some friends call us, because we get along with anyone, just like rice goes with almost any food), and to become more like "paella" or "risotto", like a whole meal, not just garment. We'll see how that goes!

1 Comments:

At 6:37 PM, Blogger lorem ipsum said...

I, too, am amazed at how some words seem universal. I've never heard 'light' used to describe a person, nor 'top of mind,' but phrases such as 'heavy' and 'too much' have been part of the US vernacular for about forty years - it started with the hippies! But we still use and love them.

 

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