Stacey Padilla
La Universidad Católica del Uruguay
Montevideo, Uruguay
Tengo un mes aca en Montevideo, y es claro que hay mucha variedad linguística en comparación de los tipos de español con que estoy acustombrada. Montevideo está ubicada en el Río de la Plata, y por eso el accento del region se llama "español rioplatense." Una de mis clases de intercambio incluyó una lección sobre la linguística del region. Abajo están mi apuntes.
I have been here in Montevideo for a month, and it's clear that there is a lot of linguistic variation in comparison to the types of Spanish that I'm used to. Montevideo is located in the Río de la Plata region, and therefore the accent is called "español rioplatense" (Rio-plata-nese Spanish, if you will). One of my international student classes included a lesson about the linguistics of the region. Below are my notes.
I have been here in Montevideo for a month, and it's clear that there is a lot of linguistic variation in comparison to the types of Spanish that I'm used to. Montevideo is located in the Río de la Plata region, and therefore the accent is called "español rioplatense" (Rio-plata-nese Spanish, if you will). One of my international student classes included a lesson about the linguistics of the region. Below are my notes.
Probablemente sea dificil leerlas, entonces escribo los datos más interesantes:
- El leyismo. Se pronuncia la "y" y "ll" como el inglés "sh" o "zh." Por ejemplo, mi apellido es Padilla; yo pronuncio "Pah-dee-Yuh", pero mis profesores uruguayos lo pronuncian "Pah-dee-SHuh." Un amigo uruguayo me preguntó, "Cómo se llama [shama] el lugar con arena y el mar?" Respondí, "La playa." Él sonrió y dijo, "Ah, es la plaSHa!" Oh, qué gracioso (sarcasmo).
- El vos. Aca no se usa "usted" frequentamente. Se usa "tú" para situaciones más formales, y "vos" para la mayoría de la gente. Más que decir "vos" en lugar de "tú," se conjuga verbos de "vos" en una manera diferente. Por ejemplo, el mandato informal de "tú" para el verbo "venir" es "ven"; para "vos," use "vení." Es facil entender el uso de "vos," pero yo no lo uso.
- ¡Pá! Es el sonido de exasperación. "No hay más leche? Pá!"
- Tá. Es igual al ingles "okay." Se usa al fin de una oración, para verificar que la otra persona entiende lo que dice o para confirmar que la otra está de acuerdo. "Vamos a la feria para comprar más leche, tá?"
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| El uso de vos. "Transformá" The use of vos. |
It's probably difficult to read them, so I'll write the most interesting facts:
- El Leyismo. You pronounce the "y" and "ll" as "sh" or "zh" (instead of the "yuh" of an English y, as I am accustomed). For example, my last name is Padilla; I pronounce it "Pah-dee-yuh," but my Uruguayan professors pronounce it "Pah-dee-SHuh" (so, "Padishuh"). A Uruguayan friend asked me "What do you call the place with sand and the ocean?" I answered him, "La plaYa [the beach]." He laughed and said, "Ah, it's the plaSHa [the beach, pronounced with SH]!" Oh, how funny (sarcasm).
- El vos. Here they don't use "usted," a formal form of the word "you." They use "tú" (the informal "you") for more formal situations, and "vos" (the least formal, less common/unused form of "you") for the majority of people. Beyond saying "vos" in place of "tú," they conjugate verbs in "vos" in a different way. For example, the informal command in the "tú" form for the verb "venir" (to come) is "ven"; for the "vos" conjugation, you use "vení." It's easy to understand the use of "vos," but I don't use it.
- ¡Pá! It's the sound of exasperation. "There's no more milk? Pá!"
- Tá. It's the equivalent of the English "okay." It's used at the end of a sentence to make sure that the other person understands what was said or to confirm that the other person agrees. "We'll go to the feria to buy more milk, tá?"
A common supermarket. Maybe the name has to do with the use of "tá"?
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| La pelicula "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" traducida como "Lluvia de Hamburguesas." The movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" translated as "Hamburger Rain." |
Another store. Uruguayans also say "sisi" to say "sí" ["yes"].