Spanish Vs. Spanish

There is Spanish. And then there is Latin-American Spanish. Like any other organic language, Spanish is a living organism with a soul and mind of its own. A number of factors have driven its evolution and such consistent evolution over time has meant that today’s Spanish is as diverse and rich, as English or French, if not more. The Spanish dialects of Latin America were influenced, enriched, and shaped in all aspects, i.e., grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, by the hundreds of indigenous Indian languages spoken in the region for centuries. Here, we explore some of the lexical differences between the two realms.

The diversity of Spanish

All Spanish dialects are mutually intelligible
Photo credit: * CliNKer * licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

While standard Spanish is more or less consistent across the board, which means someone speaking standard Spanish would be understood more or less in any part of the Spanish-speaking world, it is the myriad local dialects that make it diverse and colorful. There are countless words in the Spanish of Spain that are either obsolete or used with a different meaning on the other side of the Pond and vice-versa; a classic example is discussed in the Street Spanish article on the Spanish for “jacket.” These dialectical differences are at times so strong that using a word in even a slightly wrong context could have hilarious or even awkward consequences.

It is said a language changes color, though hardly noticeable, every 50 miles. So, in effect, every village, every town, every community has its own dialect unique to its speech. However, not only are such variances out of this article’s scope, they are best absorbed once you have perfected basic communication skills and start interacting with the locals more regularly. This article is more about how Spanish is divided by the vast expanses of the Atlantic.

Same Spanish, different meanings

What follows is a list of some words unique to Latin-American Spanish along with their Castilian (mainland) and English equivalents. The first word in each row is Latin-American Spanish, the second, Castilian Spanish, and the third is English.

abreviarse – apresurarse –to hurry

acogencia – acogida/aceptación – welcome/acceptance

acuerpar – defender – to defend

afanar – ganar dinero – to earn money

amargoso – amargo – bitter

arrancarse – despedirse – to take time off

balaceo – tiroteo – gunfight

bestia – caballo – horse

bolilos – panecillos – buns, small loaves

bregar – trabajar – to work

camión – autobús – bus

candela – fuego – fire, cigarette light

catar – mirar – to look at

chancleta – acelerador – accelerator

closet – armario – closet/cupboard

computadora – ordenador – computer

diarismo – periodismo – journalism

de juro – sin remedio/a la fuerza – truly/by force

de pie – constantemente – constantly

despacharse – darse prisa – to hurry

droga – deuda – debt

eleccionario – electivo/elector – voter

esportivo – deportivo – sporting

estación – pinchazo – puncture

estampilla – sello – stamp

exigir – rogar – to ask

expeditar – despachar – to expedite or hurry along

expendio – local de venta al por menor – retailer

fatiga – agonía – agony

festinar – festejar – to celebrate

foja – hoja de papel – sheet of paper

frazada/cobija – manta – blanket

lindo – bonito – pretty

luego – al instante – right away

manejar – conducir – to drive

marfil – peine – comb

masacrar/ultimar – matar – to kill

memorias – recuerdos/saludos – memories

mercar – comprar – to buy

palo – trago – a drink

pararse – ponerse en pie – to stand up

parquear – aparcar – to park

plata – dinero – money

¿Qué tanto? – ¿Cuánto? – How much/many?

quedado/quedadizo – lento/indolente – slow/indolent

rajar – gastar mucho dinero – to spend a lot of money

rango – lujo – luxury

recordarse – despertarse – to wake up

rentar – alquilar – to rent

ruletero – taxista – cab driver

sabana – llanura – plain/savanna

saber – soler – to be used to

saco – chaqueta – jacket

sentirse – resentirse/estar dolido – to be upset

taita – padre – father

tajarrazo – herida – injury

tinto – café negro – black coffee

ubicar – colocar en un sitio precioso – to put in a particular spot/place

vallunco – rústico/burdo – vulgar/rustic

venduta – venta pública – sale to the public

zipote – muchacho – young man

Of course, this is not all there is!

I am sure you understand that no list can fully capture the diversity of a language as rich as Spanish. Close to a dozen countries speak this lingo and the speakers represent a cultural diversity as broad as few other languages. From indigenous Indians of Perú to the Caucasians of Spain and from the Negros of the Caribbean to the Mestizos of Mexico, the speakers of this language obviously show a variety no word-list can reasonably encapsulate.

As always, I would strongly urge those who are learning Spanish and wish to further research these lexical variances to step out of their comfort-zones, make friends with those native speakers and explore this diversity for themselves. While the list above should do well to give you a hint of how Spanish of the New World sounds different from that of Spain, the actual count of such differences is practically limited only by the innate human kack for cultural variety. As a further illustration, there’s an interesting article on the Spanish language translation for “bathing.”

As a closing note, I must also let you know that when a language changes its color along with geography, it is not only in its vocabulary. Spanish exhibits many examples of changes even in its grammar when it comes to local usage and while most local grammatical constructs are non-standard, a knowledge of their patters surely enriches your experience and brings you steps closer to your culture of choice. Pronunciation too undergoes similar changes and makes for an interesting study.