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The language today

New words in the Spanish language dictionary

Language is constantly evolving. Today, we will review the new additions that the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language (RAE) incorporated in 2024. We await the significant modification planned for 2026, the tremendous twenty-fourth edition of the Dictionary of the Spanish Language (DLE). Meanwhile, this year’s additions total 4,381, although most correspond to subtle tweaks to words already included in dictionaries from previous years.

The most interesting part is the new additions, which total 90 words this year. These latest additions include: alien, antisionismo, bestializar, chundachunda, criptonita, ecofeminismo, enchufable, ficcionalizar, georradar, grisín, lambada, liberalista, machirulo motonieve, oscarizar, perreo, pixelar, posturear, previsional, reintroducir, retrogusto, sin hogarismo, sujetalibros, trampeo and videoarbitraje. 

There is also an abundance of foreign words (not just Anglicisms), such as aquaplaning, au pair, balconing, banner, big data, bobsleigh, boccia, bulldog, cookie, feng shui, grooming, laudatio, macguffin, parkour, post-it, sexting.

In addition to these foreign words, the new update of the Diccionario de la Lengua Española includes the incorporation of synonyms and antonyms, something that had never happened in the almost three hundred years since the publication of the first RAE dictionary. This new feature means that when looking up a word in the online dictionary, the definition appears, and next to the word, an icon that refers to synonyms and antonyms appears. Clicking on it breaks down the list of synonyms and antonyms available for that word, which was previously impossible to find in the dictionary.

As you can see, the new words are diverse. Let’s see, for example, what the word machirulo means. In the dictionary, there are two meanings:

  1. colloquial derogatory adjective. Said of a person, especially a man, who exhibits a sexist attitude. Also used as a noun: There were several machirulos at the meeting.
  2. colloquial derogatory adjective. Typical or characteristic of a machirulo. A very machirula.

Synonym: sexist, machista.

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Culture around Spanish language The language today

Inclusive language in Spanish

The United Nations defines inclusive language as “the way of expressing oneself orally and in writing without discriminating against a particular sex, social gender or gender identity and without perpetuating gender stereotypes.” Spanish has grammatical genders; therefore, to pluralise, one must choose one, and it does so with the masculine to integrate both genders.

Origins of inclusive language

The fact that pluralisation in Spanish is with the masculine grammatical gender has generated much debate. Thus, since the seventies, feminist movements began to propose linguistic reform for the Spanish language and the human language in general. This reform raised the need to generate a change towards a non-sexist, gender-neutral or inclusive language, which proposed different linguistic strategies that would avoid sexist prejudices or stereotypes when using language to refer to people of a particular sex, gender or sexual orientation. Thus, inclusive language in Spanish includes preventing the use of the generic masculine and accepting the feminine version of traditionally masculine nouns (for example, presidenta, jefa, gerenta, Médica, etc.).

Preferring terms such as ser humano (human being) instead of hombre (man) to refer to the human species, las personas (people) instead of hombres (men), and infantes (infants) instead of niños (children) to refer to these large groups correspond to strategies to make the language more inclusive and less sexist. Now, what happens when neutral or non-binary language is proposed? (that with words ending in the vowel e or the symbols x or @ to express gender indeterminacy and using the pronouns elle or elles).

Non-binary language seeks to encompass all those people who do not identify with the gender dichotomy traditionally established by society, that is, male and female. Non-binary language is therefore associated with the LGBTQIA+ community (this term is made up of the acronyms of the words lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, transvestite, queer, intersexual and asexual. At the end, the + symbol is usually added to include all groups not represented by the previous letters). Spanish researcher Isabel López, from the organisation 4Motion Systemic & People, points out that international studies estimate the number of non-binary people between 7% and 14% of the world’s population.

Furthermore, if we consider the existence of a third gender and the recognition of this within different cultures worldwide, we will realise that we are not facing a new situation. The graphic report Tercer género alrededor del mundo, by the authors Leandro Galdames, Gabriel Oyarzo, Michael Pando, and Paula Solar, records ten geographically very dispersed cultures where the understanding of gender goes beyond the separation between man and woman.

In Latin America, there are two cases: in Mexico, there are the Muxe people, who are assigned the male sex at birth, but who adopt feminine or mixed gender roles. In Chile, there is the Epu Pillan or Epu Püllü; these are expressions in Mapudungun, the language of the Mapuche people, which roughly translates as “two spirits” or “two souls.” They are used to refer to people within the Mapuche culture who have a gender identity that does not entirely fit the binary categories of man and woman.

Inclusive language versus gender-neutral language

Although feminism took a significant step in its fight against androcentric language, in the words of sociolinguist Ben Papadopoulos in his text A Brief History of Non-Binary Spanish (2022), “these language changes were limited by the traditional gender dichotomy based on sexual difference.” Therefore, the morpheme e – initially proposed in 1976 by Spanish engineer Álvaro García Meseguer – “was the solution to the problem of linguistic sexism.”

Inclusive language versus gender-neutral language

Although feminism took a significant step in its fight against androcentric language, in the words of sociolinguist Ben Papadopoulos in his text A Brief History of Non-Binary Spanish (2022), “these language changes were limited by the traditional gender dichotomy based on sexual difference.” Therefore, the morpheme e – initially proposed in 1976 by Spanish engineer Álvaro García Meseguer – “was the solution to the problem of linguistic sexism.”

Since then, neutral or non-binary language has become increasingly prominent. The use of the morpheme y implies substantial changes in the language, but the proposals for using morphemes such as x or @ are even more fundamental. This present great difficulty when reading or using them in spoken form. This is even more complex for people who suffer from visual or hearing disabilities or are elderly, who find it much more difficult to understand the language with these new variants. How does the technological assistant read the morpheme @, for example?

There is a growing societal awareness of gender diversity, and language is evolving to reflect this. The issue is how to balance the right to the legitimate assessment of a collective without overshadowing or displacing another human group.

Keep learning curiosities about the language and the Spanish language, visiting and reading the articles we publish weekly on the iScribo blog. If you are looking to improve your Spanish writing and correct a specific variant of this language, remember to subscribe to our wonderful grammar checker. We are waiting for you!

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The language today

Spanish phrases and vocabulary on your summer holiday

Are you going on holiday to a Spanish-speaking country? What better opportunity to enjoy the heat, the beach or a nice tan and practice Spanish? Isn’t that a good plan for you?

Remember that Spanish is spoken in Spain and many other Latin American countries, such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. Also, in Central America and some African countries, there will always be a hot season in some months of the year, and you can practice Spanish in one of these countries. Isn’t it great? If you can travel, you can always enjoy good weather and a relaxed atmosphere like summer vacations somewhere in the world.

During the holiday atmosphere, there are always many relaxed activities to gain self-confidence and enrich your command of the language, so keep reading. We will give you a hand here so you can practice your Spanish.

First rule: you already know where you will travel, and your trip is almost there, so I advise you that if you want to soak up the atmosphere of the place, look for a movie set in one of the cities you will visit. That will make your visit much more interesting because once you are there, you will seek to recognise what you saw in the film, whether it be the landscape, way of life or, better yet, expressions or phrases you heard. Ah! And, of course, I encourage you to change the language of your mobile phone to Spanish.

Well, we’re there: now to practice.

As you gear up for your exciting summer adventure in Spain, let’s dive into the world of the Spanish language. Today, we’ll explore some key phrases and expressions that will help you communicate and enrich your stay.

  “Buenos días” (good morning) is one of the most common greetings. To greet a person in the afternoon, we say “buenas tardes” (good afternoon/evening) finally, we use “buenas noches” (good night).

Imagine you are walking down the street and must attract someone’s attention to ask them a question. In that context, you would use “perdone” (excuse me) in its formal form or “perdona” in its informal form, depending on the age of the person you are addressing. After saying this and attracting their attention, you can now ask the question you want.

Is this your first-time meeting someone, and you don’t know what to say at the end? If you’ve had a good time with her, you can use the classic “encantado/a de conocerle” (this is the formal version) (nice to meet you) or “encantado/a de conocerte” if it’s someone your age or someone you feel comfortable enough to speak on a first-name basis. You can also say, “es un placer” (It’s a pleasure) or simply “encantado/a” (delighted).

Basic vocabulary

Let’s consider the means of transport in Spain. We will mainly discuss el tren (train), bus, avión (plane), and coche (car).

When discussing accommodation, you must master the concepts of hotel, hostel, (Albergue juvenil) youth hostel, apartamento (apartment), camping, parador, casa rural (cottage), and camping. The Paradores is a public hotel chain in Spain managed by a state commercial company.

Spain offers a wide range of activities that are of interest to everyone. You can enjoy the sun and sand at the beach, cool off in a pool, explore the scenic mountains, go hiking, experience the outdoors with camping, immerse yourself in art and history by visiting museums, indulge in retail therapy with shopping, take a leisurely stroll around the city, or stay active with sports.

The recommended products for summer are protector solar (sunscreen), mapas (maps) and planos (plans). Sombrero (a hat) or gorra (cap), gafas de sol (sunglasses), cámara fotográfica (a camera), and cargadores (chargers). If you are not from the European Union, it is advisable to buy a tarjeta SIM (SIM card).

Essential extras: taxi, pasaporte (passport), billete (ticket), maleta (suitcase), mochila (backpack), equipaje (luggage).

Interrogative formulas

«¿Dónde está el hospital? » (Where is the hospital?)

«Tiene (usted)/Tienes (tú) un mapa?» (Do you have a map?)

«¿Cuándo nos vamos?» (When do we go?)

If you want to explain that you don’t speak Spanish well, you could say, «Disculpe, no hablo bien español» (Excuse me, I don’t speak Spanish well). If you don’t understand what they said, you can say, «no entiendo lo que ha dicho» (I don’t understand what you said), and add, «¿podría repetirlo, por favor?» (could you repeat that, please?).

If the situation is too complicated for you, you may want to ask if someone speaks English. In this case, you would have to say, «¿habla usted inglés?» (do you speak English?/poliness grammar) or «¿hablas inglés?». To ask for help, say, «¿podría ayudarme?» (could you help me?) and to express desire, for example, if you are in a cafe and you already know what to order, use the conditional verb: «me gustaría tomar un café, por favor» (I would like to have a coffee, please).

When you’re planning to travel within Spain, these questions can be your lifesavers: «Dónde se pueden comprar los billetes de bus/tren?» (Where can I buy bus or train tickets?) and «a qué hora sale el próximo tren a Madrid?» (What time does the next train to Madrid depart?).

I hope these tips are helpful for your practice and your next vacation. Remember that the key to learning Spanish, as with everything in life, is motivation, which is entirely up to you.

Keep learning curiosities about the language and the Spanish language, visiting and reading the articles we publish weekly on the iScribo blog. If you want to improve your Spanish writing and correct a specific variant of this language, subscribe to our superb grammar checker. We are waiting for you!

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The language today

The influence of cinema and TV on language

Film and television are part of popular culture, which takes elements from the real world for inspiration and either exaggerates or creatively reinterprets them. But what happens when it is communication in the real world that is influenced by what is projected on the screen?

Many movie phrases are already part of everyday language. The voice of our conscience, or the one who plays the role of being our critical advisor, is known as Jiminy Cricket, in reference to the character from the animated film Pinocchio of 1940. Jiminy Cricket was responsible for reorienting Pinocchio’s steps after he became a compulsive liar.

Cinema and television influence us consciously and unconsciously. Often, words or expressions used on the screen are part of popular culture, so explaining an idea further is unnecessary.

Some expressions are in the collective unconscious, such as movie scenes or scenes that are believed to belong to a movie, although, they never existed. In fact, in the classic film Tarzan, the protagonist never says, I Tarzan, you Jane but hits her chest and says Tarzan, then hits Jane and says Jane. This curiosity also occurs in original novels such as Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, where the famous phrase elementary, my dear Watson never existed.

We have all grown up watching movies whose dialogues have remained forever in our subconscious. Some expressions are so massively naturalised that we often ignore their origin. For example, the word paparazzi is a linguistic loan originating from Italian, incorporated into the lexicon of Spanish, English and other languages. Its origin is in the character Paparazzo from the famous film La Dolce Vita (1960) by Federico Fellini. Paparazzo means mosquito, and in the film, it was the name of the protagonist photographer. After the film, the term began to refer to the photographers of the so-called tabloid press.

From theatre and television

Another influence of the world of entertainment on everyday speech is found in the expression gaslighting. This term originated in 1938 after the premiere of the play of the same name. In this English play, a husband tries to drive his wife into madness by dimming the gas lights in his house and then denying that the light changes when his wife points it out. From then on, the expression refers to the psychological manipulation that someone exercises on another to make them question the validity of their thoughts and perception of reality.

Peinar la muñeca (combing the doll) is a localism used in Chile to refer to someone going through an episode of alienation or disturbance or whose mental faculties are disturbed. This ingenious phrase commonly used in the country originates in the last chapter of Los Títeres. A famous soap opera shown on Chilean television in 1984. In it, the character of actress Gloria Munchmayer, now entirely out of her mind, begins to talk to her dolls and aggressively throw them into the pool. After this, the protagonist enters the pool and hugs some dolls while dips the heads of others. Finally, she maternally hugs them all while stroking their hair. The disturbing scene exuded so much isolation and madness that it remained in the national collective subconscious and became the saying peinar la muñeca used to refer to someone who does not seem to be in their right mind.

If you have been interested in the anecdote of the origin of this expression, you can review the last scene of Los títeres.

The sagas that accompany generations

A film that has influenced the language of both older and younger generations is Star Wars. It is common for some to refer to their apprentices as my young Padawan. In addition, the film saga is complete with well-known phrases, such as the traditional I am your father, from Darth Vader or the countless references people make to the dark side of the force.

And, you know: May the force -and iScribo- be with you.

Keep learning curiosities about the language and the Spanish language, visiting and reading the articles we publish weekly on the iScribo blog. If you are looking to improve your Spanish writing and correct a specific variant of this language, remember to subscribe to our wonderful grammar checker. We are waiting for you!

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The language today

Emojis: the current economy of language

Since the Rosetta stone was discovered in 1799, 23 years passed before the method of reading Egyptian hieroglyphs was deciphered, mainly thanks to the studies carried out by Thomas Young, an English linguist and Jean-François Champollion, a French historian.

Similarities between ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the emojis of the digital age are evident. However, their differences are remarkable: Hieroglyphs were a complete language represented in a writing system of strict rules. Although an illiterate person can understand some basic symbols, a high skill level is required to handle them fully.

Emojis, on the other hand, were born under the auspices of digital messages on social networks, and here, the economy of language takes precedence. Emojis are the evolution of emoticons. The origin of the latest word comes from an acronym for the terms emotion and icon. Emoticons are, as their name indicates, iconic representations that complement written texts, adding nuances or complicities in the language.

Write with images 😎 😏

In a written conversation, intonation, and everything that non-verbal communication provides disappears. Although emoticons are characteristic elements of written language, they bring those who use them closer to orality. It gives a hybrid communication style to the written communication of digital messaging. The emojis can be attributed to a change in intonation, the volume of the voice, a facial gesture, or a particular movement of the body. In short, these actions are typical of the field of study of pragmatic linguistics, which, if it were not for the emoticons, would not be present in the chat conversation.

An emoji is a wild card in written conversation since it easily and quickly explains the sender’s intention and often breaks the ice or removes the apparent abruptness of what is said in words. You can indicate that you are exhausted 😴 without having to say it by writing many words. Hyperbole can be expressed, such as being “red with anger” 😡, “being about to explode” 🤯 or “freezing to death” 🥶.

With an emoticon, we can ask for discretion 🤫, express sadness 😞, empathy 🙏, etc. In short, images economise, and at the same time enhance, the expressive function of language. They give it flavour and an essential cultural load.

History of emojis

In 1844, Morse code was used as a telegraphic communication system for the first time. What does that have to do with emojis?!, you might ask. Well, now comes the interesting detail: it turns out that, in 1857, that is, 13 years after this code began to be used, the National Telegraphic Review and Operators Guide documented that the number 73 of the code started to be employed to express “love and kisses” and then led to something more formal like “kind regards” or “best wishes.” Many radio operators say “73” at the end of a friendly call precisely since, in that context, it is currently a close way of saying goodbye or saying thank you.

World Emoji Day

As a result of all the communication commotion that emojis have caused in the digital age, in 2010, a curious holiday arose called Emoji Day. Since that year, World Emoji Day has been celebrated every July 17. This day was chosen because the first 176 emojis were created in 1999. Today, the Unicode consortium (made up of Apple, Microsoft, Google, and IBM) oversees creating new emojis.

If you dare, you should know that anyone can submit a proposal to create a new emoticon, but it is a challenge. It must meet formal requirements and demonstrate that the image will have an expected level of use. So now you know, if you want to brag that incorporating a new emoticon was thanks to your management, observe your surroundings and play, we all support you here! 😉

Keep learning curiosities about the language and the Spanish language, visiting and reading the articles we publish weekly on the iScribo blog. If you are looking to improve your Spanish writing, remember to subscribe to our wonderful grammar checker.

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