--- Begin Message ---
- From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:48:02 EST
<<In Spanish = me gusta = (something likes the speaker)>>
I think the subject line either used to be or was supposed to be "Are
Hispanic & Latino" synonymous. I've somehow befuddled myself royally (put it
down
to hanging out with way too many lawyers and adolescents).
However ... "me gusta" doesn't mean something likes me; it means something
is pleasing to me. "Me", being indirect pronoun, and "gusta" being third
person singular present. "gustar" -- "to please". So -- it is pleasing to me,
(therefore, I like IT).... or so I've been lead to believe.
We could talk about the Spanish reflexive which asserts that a glass se
romio..... (I love the way glasses break themselves).
Julie Krueger
Quibbling my way out of a bit of angst tonight
========Original Message======== Subj: [lit-ideas] Are Spanish and
Portuguese synonymous? Date: 1/28/2007 1:14:15 P.M. Central Standard Time
From:
_eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) To:
_lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent on:
>>I guess my question was really, is the Hispanic/Latino a divide of
language or of culture?
Both. The languages are not at all interchangeable, and attempts to
understand Portuguese by knowledge of Spanish are distorted by false
cognates. For example:
Portuguese cachorro = dog
Spanish cachorro = puppy or kitten (baby animal); the Spanish perro = dog
Spanish calle = street
Portuguese rua = street
The grammar of Portuguese is different. In Portuguese there are no
reflexive verbs.
Portuguese Eu gosto = I like ...
In Spanish = me gusta = (something likes the speaker)
Another example: when TV cable companies started in Brazil, they
broadcasted shows from Argentina in Spanish. The companies received
millions of calls from the Brazilian viewers, who demanded either
subtitles or Brazilian language translation. The response was so
overwhelming, the TV stations complied with a month.
As for culture, Brazilians generally consider the Spanish very rude.
Brazilians are very cautious, for example, in expressing disdain or
discomfort. The Spanish tend to be very blunt.
Also, the Spanish cultures' relation to death (Eva Peron cult, day of
the dead) is extremely alien to the Portuguese-speaking Brazilians.
It's easier for Brazilians to understand the language and culture of the
French (whose university system was a model for the Brazilian) or the
Italians (where there is more linguistic and cultural compatibility).
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