The usefulness of etymology in the study of Spanish
During my many years of teaching Spanish to students from all walks of life in Melbourne, I have always stressed to them the great benefit that is gained for fast and effective language learning by...
View ArticleA Spanish speaking gentleman doesn’t need a horse
The Spanish word caballero derives from Late Latin caballarius, (horse groom) which in turn comes from Latin caballus (horse), according to The Free Dictionary. Whenever words like this are encountered...
View ArticleThe word ‘resiliencia’ came to Spanish via English
Until today I didn’t know that the word ‘resiliencia’ was used in Spanish. I have always used resilience or resilient as terms fully associated with the English language. Then today I received in my...
View Article‘I love chocolate’…I know that, but do you know about the origin of the word...
In my professional teaching experience it’s very common to find out that many students are often unaware about lots of the aspects relating to the nature of the Spanish language vocabulary when they...
View ArticleThe terms ‘Latino’ and ‘Latino Spanish’
The Spanish language term latino (‘Latino‘) has been used and abused for quite a while. Words like these can become widely popular and used very frequently, in most cases without the users making a...
View ArticleSome thoughts about the origins and meanings of the term bizarro
Finding out about the origin and meanings of words is one of the areas of language study that I enjoy most, mainly because every time I analyze a particular term, I achieve a better knowledge about its...
View ArticleDoes the term ‘Latino’ mean anything?
It is really sad and shameful to hear, or read that people who should know better – especially in the media – still insist on using the term “Latino” when referring to Latin Americans. This term is not...
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