Alexis Munier - Talk Dirty Spanish: Beyond Mierda: The curses, slang, and street lingo you need to Know when you speak espanol

And can you name the U.S. state that has given Spanish official language status? Bet you couldn't guess New Mexico! Although Spain lost its Latin American colonies in the nineteenth century, the Spanish spoken throughout the continents continued to evolve. Many American Indians were killed or died of diseases brought by invaders, but native languages such as nhuatl in Mexico, quechua in Peru, and guaran in Paraguay have made their mark on current speech as well. Today, all Spanish speakers may understand each other generally, but most countries and even regions have their own dialects and dirty Spanish. Lunfardo, a type of slang in Argentina, will be almost unrecognizable to a kid from Madrid. Likewise, a Panamanian might have a hard time deciphering the street talk in Mexico known as cal.

It's also worth noting that Spanish is not the only language spoken in Spain. Basque, Catalan, and Galician, among others, have contributed to Spanish as we know it. Influences on Latin American Spanish include the hundreds of thousands of African slaves who settled on the continent. In some places like Argentina and Uruguay, Italians and other Europeans who immigrated there during the nineteenth century also had a profound impact. But the biggest influence of all has been, no surprise, the United States. American English has been widely adapted into Latin American speech, more so than in the castellano spoken in Spain.

While in Spain there are Spanish equivalents to technical terms like e-mail (correo electrnico), in Latin America people mostly use the English word, e-mail. Besides technical terminology, American music and films are popular and have allowed English to make the deep imprint it has today on the Spanish language. A quasi-hybrid of the two languages now exists, known as Spanglish. It's not just a disappointing Adam Sandler movie Spanglish is a dialect spoken mainly by native Spanish speakers living in the United States, mixing words left and right. With one in ten U.S. households speaking Spanish at home, Spanglish is destined for success.

In a hundred years, your family may be speaking it too! Here is just a sample of English words in use in Spanish today: el closet, el hall, el club, un speech, el living, el holding, los chips, el marketing, full-time, el stand, el e-mail, el mouse, el parking, el sandwich, los aerobics, el container, el drink, los pants, and el sweater.

TWO

Qu milanesas! Introductions, Friends, and Family

When it comes to family members, Hispanics in general and Mexicans in particular have a complex relationship with their mothers. This can likely be traced to the influence of Catholicism in the pas, where Mary and Mary Magdalene represent the two main visions of mujeres. With the choice of either virgin mother or whore, it's no surprise Hispanics have a complicated relationship with the women who bore them. El padre, on the other hand, enjoys a classic role as provider, ruling the roost. At least with large families, Mexican children have the opportunity to share both the blame and acclaim with their hermanos and hermanas. to grab the wave Yo creo que voy a cambiar de maestro de ingls; a ste no le agarro la onda.I think I'll change English teachers; I just don't get this one.