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Spanish Vocabulary

Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:02 pm
by WedNESday
Why are there two words for armpit in Spanish? (axila, sobaco)

Is one for a woman's, and the for a man's?

Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:13 pm
by Zepper
I believe one is the official name, the other is a popular label for that.

Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 5:41 am
by tepples
Likewise, "underarm" is the "official" name in English, while "armpit" is a popular label. There's also an English adjective "axillary" that means "of the underarm" and is clearly related to one of the Spanish words through Latin.

Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:36 pm
by Petruza
Axila is formal and Sobaco is ( very ) informal.
You won't say Sobaco talking to the doctor, for example.

Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:42 am
by WedNESday
And these?

Chin = la barbilla/el mentón
Face = la cara/el rostro
Knuckle = artejo/el nudillo
Neck = el cuello/el pescuezo
Nostril = el orificio nasal/la ventana de la nariz
Tonsil = la amígdala/la tonsila

Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:36 am
by Petruza
Well, that's very common between dialects of spanish.
Although the spanish language is only one, their dialects differ a lot in vocabulary, mostly nouns, from region to region.
For example, here in Argentina you'll never hear "tonsila" for amígdala and "artejo" for nudillo.
"Cara" is far more common in Argentina than "Rostro", and there's yet another word for that: "faz" which clearly shares a latin root with face.

This kind of differences in language are really misleading sometimes.
For example, you can say "Concha" for shell in Spain, but if you say that in Argentina, you're meaning Vagina in a very vulgar speech.
"Coger" is catch or grab in spain, but means to fuck, in Latin America.

"Pescuezo" is commonly used to refer to an animal's neck, while "cuello" is the human's.

In Spain, you say "Cubo" to refer to a bucket, despite the fact that "cubo" means Cube, and buckets are usually cillindric, not cubic :D

Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:34 pm
by WedNESday
Just like in London;

(a) Look = Butcher's
Face = Boat
Kermit = Toilet
Neck = Gregory

e.g.

Modern English

'I say young man, I was on the way to use the toilet facilities with an unhappy face, when I had a look upon a fellow who's neck was...'

London English

'Cor blimey guv'na, I was on 'me way to the kermit with a long boat, when I 'ad a butchers's at this bloke's gregory who...'

Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:09 pm
by egfelixdcg
I live in Argentina as well

Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:01 pm
by WedNESday
egfelixdcg wrote:I live in Argentina as well
Opinion then, por favor.

Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:50 pm
by egfelixdcg
WedNESday wrote:
Opinion then, por favor.
Mostly the same as Petruza, several words for one thing are or synonyms, or one word belonging to a country and others to other countries.

Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:22 am
by WedNESday
WedNESday wrote:Just like in London;

(a) Look = Butcher's
Face = Boat
Kermit = Toilet
Neck = Gregory

e.g.

Modern English

'I say young man, I was on the way to use the toilet facilities with an unhappy face, when I had a look upon a fellow who's neck was...'

London English

'Cor blimey guv'na, I was on 'me way to the kermit with a long boat, when I 'ad a butchers's at this bloke's gregory who...'
Was I on drugs when I made this post? :lol: