I asked my coordinator at my school if I was allowed to sit in whatever class was available during one of my gaps in my schedule, and she was able to set it up with a Spanish linguistics class taught by the school director. My 1 BAC D students were surprised to see their English teacher walk into class one day.
"Teacher what are you doing here?!"
"I'm going to be a student and observe today!"
students shouting: "Ohhhh, sit next to me!!"
They were all so sweet-I think the only time I was ever fought over to sit next to someone in class was middle school because people wanted to cheat off of me (lols).
"But teacher why this class?"
"It's the only one that worked with my schedule."
"Well just to warn you, he's a bit scary."
"Pues, vamos a ver."
Anyways, I was so excited she put me in this class as I had taken a linguistics class (shoutout to SPAN 4530!!) at the university my fourth year. In grammar classes, I was taught that everything had rules > ex. You always use the imperfect when you are talking about the weather. In the linguistics class we learned (I hope I've remembered everything correctly!) that the rules don't always apply and that geography is one factor that influences how people speak in Spain. In the south for example, the removal of "s" and "d" in words is very common.
I've sat in on about 4 classes so far, and I've learned so much. "Teacher, are you taking notes?!" Yes, I've become a full on student in this class, and I'm starting to remember what it's like to learn for the sake of learning. In high school and college, there's so much pressure to get an A that sometimes sitting in class is stressful, and I learn for the sake of getting an A. It's nice to finally learn without that pressure and really enjoy and take in what I'm being taught. Below I will share with you some of things I've learned in the linguistics class about language that is unique to Galicia.
1. Tengo el bebe en el colo.
A direct translation would mean that you're carrying a baby in your colon but in Galicia it means in your arms.
2. Ya llega.
A direct translation would mean that someone has just arrived. In Galicia, you can say this to mean something that is sufficient. When you're eating at a restaurant for example, you can say this to the waiter to let him know you don't want anymore.
3. Quitar=sacar
Galician people interchange quitar and sacar a lot when quitar is really a more aggressive form of sacar.
4. cuartos=dinero
5. ¿y luego?
It can mean "how's it going" (although there are different meanings in the different zones of Galicia) or the example given, "me duele la espalda" "y luego?"
6. substitution of the article--el por lo
When someone says something and you don't hear, usually the response is "¿Que?" In Galicia, they say "¿Lo que?"
7. the use of the diminutive
Usually when you want to describe something really small, for example, you add -ito/a to the end. For example, el perrito muy pequenito. In Galicia, they add -iño/a instead.
8. use of simple over compound
Example, dije instead of he dicho
I'm learning more and more about the Spanish language in Galicia everyday, and I'll continue to share with you what I learn!
Yours truly,
TLT
"Teacher what are you doing here?!"
"I'm going to be a student and observe today!"
students shouting: "Ohhhh, sit next to me!!"
They were all so sweet-I think the only time I was ever fought over to sit next to someone in class was middle school because people wanted to cheat off of me (lols).
"But teacher why this class?"
"It's the only one that worked with my schedule."
"Well just to warn you, he's a bit scary."
"Pues, vamos a ver."
Anyways, I was so excited she put me in this class as I had taken a linguistics class (shoutout to SPAN 4530!!) at the university my fourth year. In grammar classes, I was taught that everything had rules > ex. You always use the imperfect when you are talking about the weather. In the linguistics class we learned (I hope I've remembered everything correctly!) that the rules don't always apply and that geography is one factor that influences how people speak in Spain. In the south for example, the removal of "s" and "d" in words is very common.
I've sat in on about 4 classes so far, and I've learned so much. "Teacher, are you taking notes?!" Yes, I've become a full on student in this class, and I'm starting to remember what it's like to learn for the sake of learning. In high school and college, there's so much pressure to get an A that sometimes sitting in class is stressful, and I learn for the sake of getting an A. It's nice to finally learn without that pressure and really enjoy and take in what I'm being taught. Below I will share with you some of things I've learned in the linguistics class about language that is unique to Galicia.
1. Tengo el bebe en el colo.
A direct translation would mean that you're carrying a baby in your colon but in Galicia it means in your arms.
2. Ya llega.
A direct translation would mean that someone has just arrived. In Galicia, you can say this to mean something that is sufficient. When you're eating at a restaurant for example, you can say this to the waiter to let him know you don't want anymore.
3. Quitar=sacar
Galician people interchange quitar and sacar a lot when quitar is really a more aggressive form of sacar.
4. cuartos=dinero
5. ¿y luego?
It can mean "how's it going" (although there are different meanings in the different zones of Galicia) or the example given, "me duele la espalda" "y luego?"
6. substitution of the article--el por lo
When someone says something and you don't hear, usually the response is "¿Que?" In Galicia, they say "¿Lo que?"
7. the use of the diminutive
Usually when you want to describe something really small, for example, you add -ito/a to the end. For example, el perrito muy pequenito. In Galicia, they add -iño/a instead.
8. use of simple over compound
Example, dije instead of he dicho
I'm learning more and more about the Spanish language in Galicia everyday, and I'll continue to share with you what I learn!
Yours truly,
TLT