Why some different spanish slang have their meanings

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Then, in the 17 th c., spanish slang was recognized as a special language, invented by the common people. Slang or argot was typical of a determined group of people such as bullfighters, fishermen and farmers. They basically always talked among themselves about their particular jobs, therefore using a series of spanish words that only they would understand. The other people thought this to be a lack of culture and education, a kind of slaughtering of the spanish language, and from this concept, the slang and some new verbs were considered not proper and only pertaining to a very low class of people.

There has always and will always exist a special underworld with its mysteries and secret way of communication: spanish slang. But, when a special French dictionary was published, the Littre, the definition of the word slang was widened to mean “ special language”, something attractive and unspoiled. In the 17 th c., a slang dictionary was published mixing the medieval spanish with the gypsy language. The slang words went through a drastic change of not only belonging to the underworld and became part of public use.

But if we look at it from a wider point of view, slang is exactly the essence of the culture of the poeple from a determined area or profession. Spanish slang and the translation is really a live enrichment and a very picturesque way of learning about people. A good spanish translater will be able to translate into any local spanish dialect if needed. What one word means in one spart of Spain or in other Spanish speaking countries may differ greatly precisely because of the location and the specific need of these people to use such a word depending on the circumstances.

Nowadays, there are good spanish slang dictionaries, actually called Alternative dictionaries, which have the best selection of the various forms of “ bad language” such as profanities, insults and vulgarisms. Or even better, the ones that are constantly being updated online. As our society is in constant metamophsis, spanish dialects suffer this too and needs to be modernized and actualized frequently.

Where some slang gets its meanings

As far as we see, spanish slang translation could have derived from many lexical areas. Some words seem to come from abbreviations, cutting a word off. For example:

• Policia -- POLI ( police)
• Bocadillo -- BOCATA ( sub-sandwich)
• Colegio -- COLE ( school)
• Catear -- CATE ( to fail)
• Profesor -- PROFE ( teacher)

Or other spanish slang translations that come from a regularly used spanish word and the slang has a physical similarity with the correct meaning, like:

• Ladilla – ser pesada ( a nit—be a pain in the neck)
• Lechera – coche de policia ( milk truck- police car )
• Talego -- carcel ( large sack – the jail )
• Cobarde -- cagueta ( coward -- be a weenie)
• Estar borracho – ir ciego ( to be drunk – to be blind)

And still other spanish dictionaries use other languages for slang such as:

• Cambiar de canal en la television - hacer ZAPPING – ( do zapping)
• Pensar de otro modo – cambiar el CHIP – ( get new info. like from a computer chip)
• Comprobar -- CHEQUEar – ( to check something out )
• Cerveza -- BIRRA - ( italian word for beer )
• Correo electronico -- EMILIO – ( an email)

Even some of the most modern spanish novelists like Camilo Jose Cela used spanish slang in some of his post war novels.

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