The Adjusted Normal, 30. The Eyes Bleed.
When learning a foreign language, one comes across many strange problems. Sometimes, those problems, like spelling, are already a problem for the native speakers. The lack of quality in spelling in modern times tends to reflect a lessened habit of reading, and a greater habit of writing short messages on a phone's keyboard. Whenever I see k for que, I feel like skinning the author.
In English, this abbreviation has also led to things like 4 yu. For the love of sore eyes, is it so damned hard to write out for you? You don't even have to hit the number keys for any reason. English really has a problem with spelling, because there are so many ways to write a sound. The vowel sounds, for example, can be written in a variety of different ways. There are at least six ways to write a long e. There's -ey, -ie-, -ei-, -e, -ea-, -ee-. Examples, key, field, receive, be, meat, seed. It's no wonder foreign students (and some native speakers) have such a hard time learning to write the language correctly.
Spanish is not so complicated. Vowel sounds depend on which Spanish language you speak. Castilian has only five, without counting the diphthongs. Galician has at least seven. I don't know Catalán or Euskera, though I assume they also have more than Castilian. What sets apart the Spanish languages from their neighbors, though, is the sound of the consonants b and v. They are the same, but it absolutely does matter which you use in a word, because they sound exactly the same.
This confounds foreign learners of Spanish, and Spanish people, themselves. Just like many English speakers confuse words like they're, their, and there, Spanish speakers easily confuse a ver - haber, baya - valla, botar - votar. Since the homophones sound exactly the same, you may find gems like, "saltemos la baya," "haber si no llueve," or "si no botas, no te quejes." (Let's jump the berry (fence), there is if it doesn't rain (let's see), if you don't throw, don't complain (vote). I've put in parentheses what they really meant to say.) Some of my students make me pull out my hair when we do translations.
Galician speakers have another problem with remembering b and v. If a word uses b in Castilian, it might use v in Galician. An example is boda, wedding. In Galician it becomes voda.
As someone pointed out (thank you, paideleo), Galician prefers to use the letter that is closest to the origin of the word. The example above comes from the Latin, vota, which refers to the vows the bride and bridegroom make. Castilian changed the first letter to a b, while the grammar rules of Galician keep it a v. Abogado (lawyer) becomes avogado, because in Latin it was advocatus.
Just as English speakers and learners have to memorize, or simply remember, how to spell some words that are exceptions to the rule, such as i before e except after c, yet we have seize, and not sieze; so do speakers of Spanish languages have to learn when to use b and when to use v, depending on which Spanish language they are using. Simple (not).
If I see anyone write que balla bien (balla does not exist), I'll tattoo vaya on their forehead before taking out their eyes. I've seen it, and it is not good for my mental health.
Life continues.
In English, this abbreviation has also led to things like 4 yu. For the love of sore eyes, is it so damned hard to write out for you? You don't even have to hit the number keys for any reason. English really has a problem with spelling, because there are so many ways to write a sound. The vowel sounds, for example, can be written in a variety of different ways. There are at least six ways to write a long e. There's -ey, -ie-, -ei-, -e, -ea-, -ee-. Examples, key, field, receive, be, meat, seed. It's no wonder foreign students (and some native speakers) have such a hard time learning to write the language correctly.
Spanish is not so complicated. Vowel sounds depend on which Spanish language you speak. Castilian has only five, without counting the diphthongs. Galician has at least seven. I don't know Catalán or Euskera, though I assume they also have more than Castilian. What sets apart the Spanish languages from their neighbors, though, is the sound of the consonants b and v. They are the same, but it absolutely does matter which you use in a word, because they sound exactly the same.
This confounds foreign learners of Spanish, and Spanish people, themselves. Just like many English speakers confuse words like they're, their, and there, Spanish speakers easily confuse a ver - haber, baya - valla, botar - votar. Since the homophones sound exactly the same, you may find gems like, "saltemos la baya," "haber si no llueve," or "si no botas, no te quejes." (Let's jump the berry (fence), there is if it doesn't rain (let's see), if you don't throw, don't complain (vote). I've put in parentheses what they really meant to say.) Some of my students make me pull out my hair when we do translations.
Galician speakers have another problem with remembering b and v. If a word uses b in Castilian, it might use v in Galician. An example is boda, wedding. In Galician it becomes voda.
As someone pointed out (thank you, paideleo), Galician prefers to use the letter that is closest to the origin of the word. The example above comes from the Latin, vota, which refers to the vows the bride and bridegroom make. Castilian changed the first letter to a b, while the grammar rules of Galician keep it a v. Abogado (lawyer) becomes avogado, because in Latin it was advocatus.
Just as English speakers and learners have to memorize, or simply remember, how to spell some words that are exceptions to the rule, such as i before e except after c, yet we have seize, and not sieze; so do speakers of Spanish languages have to learn when to use b and when to use v, depending on which Spanish language they are using. Simple (not).
If I see anyone write que balla bien (balla does not exist), I'll tattoo vaya on their forehead before taking out their eyes. I've seen it, and it is not good for my mental health.
Life continues.
I like languages and the history that is behind each word.
ReplyDeleteEuskera has just five vowels ( that´s the reason Spanish has five vowels ).
It´s hard to me to write in English. I have never studied English.
I always say that first I spoke like Cheetah and now I speak like Tarzan. But I´m loosing my English.
You may never have studied English, but you understand it well, and communicate well, too! Better than many students!
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