A brief reflection about language in use.

I wonder why it is so difficult to "translate" into another languages what we, chileans, mean by using certain expressions. Probably, it has a lot to do with cultural meanings that do not make any sense to those who come from other places. Despite this fact, it is very interesting to see how languages change. Of course, this phenomenon comes from ourselves. We, as living creatures, do change a lot; that is why our generation has coined so many new words and expressions that are necessary for the so-called "modern life". On the other hand, lots of expressions and words have fallen into disuse. I attach a sort of educational reflection on TV about the way we speak. Of course, the flayte they interview is such a fake version of it. It's not funny at all, but maybe, you as a foreigner can get some ideas of our culture too. Have fun!

To roll your eyes at someone :P

Today, I was in a meeting and someone used the expression "To roll your eyes at somebody" How do we, chileans, say that expression in Chilean Spanish? Wow...I can think of so many ways to do so. There are many ways to express this idea. Of course, some of them may sound very polite and others just suck!
There is one expression in Chilean Spanish which is closely related to our cultural way to refer to things in general. Many people use the verb "CUARTEAR" (that is the infinitive of the verb) to refer to the action of rolling your eyes at someone. Most of the times, men roll their eyes at women. Rolling your eyes at somebody may mean many things; the most common meaning has to do with a sexual connotation.
It depends on you if you roll your eyes at people. I don't know if Obama was doing so in the following picture. Former italian president (Berlusconni) was also caught rolling his eyes at a woman. I hope you like my explanations on the language. I'll try to provide more details next time :D

Loh flayteh shiaaaaaa

Let me show you a type of person you can find anywhere in Chile: a flayte person.
Defining what makes someone a flayte may be very long and difficult. But I will provide you with some definitions for this word and its implications.

1) Flayte is a socially deprived individual (it may be a thief or an ordinary criminal)

2) Flayte is a culturally deprived individual who uses a very characteristic variety of Chilean Spanish (they nasalize lots of sounds. Nasalization is not part of our phonological system. Besides, they use a particular intonation for words as well as for utterances)

3) Flayte is an underprivileged person (Be careful, someone who is a poor person can be very different from this stereotype. Remember, I am just teaching you the stereotypes you can find in Chile)

Some characteristics of flaytes in general:

*They love listening to reggaeton music (Daddy Yankee is a famous exhibitor of this music gender)

*They often wear white pants.

*They use the so-called BLIN BLIN stuff which is all those fantasy earrings and necklace.

*Flaytes take side on one of Chilean football teams. They can be very violent if you challenge their likes.

*Flaytes tend to pronounce the sound /ch/ as /sh/ (it has a negative social connotation)

*You can see flayte people wearing expensive clothes which is a sign of their status as a social group within our society.

*Flaytes most of the times show a strong sense of identity. They do not feel ashamed of their poor language and lack of cultural background. They have a big sense of loyalty towards their mates.

There are so many variations of the word flayte!! I cannot tell you every single detail about them. I think that this is just a brief introduction and you can recognize a flayte from now on.

I will look for other stereotypes for you to learn!

Night!

"El que la sigue la consigue"

Chile has been shaken by a big movement that has put to the test not only the current education system but also the so called “Chilean way” (this expression is used to refer to the particular way in which many things get to be done in our country) After all, the strikes in different schools all over the country as well as university campuses has gone over two months. Students say that will not stop their demonstrations and strikes until they get what they’ve been waiting for. They won’t hold back from showing the world that this system needs a reform now!

There is a Chilean expression that refers to someone (in this case a group) who is able to go on despite the difficulties that events may bring. They are the type of individuals who truly believe that there is an important part in life that has to do with the personal struggle we all face from time to time. No matter what comes, they go on and on and on. Their perseverance could be pointed out as their main characteristic. How do we express all of these ideas in a simple but nice idiom?

“El que la sigue la consigue” (If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again) #

*The English verb used to refer to this idea is TO CHASE DOWN (at least in American English)

#Note: I did not use a literal translation of the expression so as not to confuse my readers.

A long way to get back!

It seems that Paula and I were way too busy to take some time to upload some nice info to our blog. After some time that I've been part of twitter I decided to get back to chilean expressions in English. We have had lots of visits and this university project will probably turn into something a little bit more than just a project. I really hope that this way back to the world of blogs turns out to be an adventure of knowledge for you as well as a a funny way of increasing your cultural background.

Hope to get your feedback as well as your advice on anything you wish.
Vamos que se puede!!!!!

Chilean Stereotypes

Special Number!!

We decided to include Chilean Stereotypes too. Every week we are going to publish a new profile about a specific chilean stereotype. Today, you will get to know what a Pelolais is, and what they mean for our culture.

"Pelolais"

Definition:

A pelolais is a young girl, who comes from a rich family. It is not just the fact that she comes from a rich family that makes her a Pelolais, but also other special features, such as:

-She loves going to the Shopping Center with her friends and spend a lot of money on her likes.

-Her hair is extremely straight. If she doesn't have natural straight hair, she will use a hair straightener to make it look the way she likes.

-To be a real Pelolais you need to be fashionable and popular. If you are old-fashioned, you're out of the world.

-They are always in shape, if not they go to the Gym.

-Real Pelolais people live in special places too. They live in the so-called "Barrio Alto" (the place where rich people live in) and they go to Private Schools

-In summer, Pelolais travel abroad and buy clothes and special items to be on the top of the fashion.

-They used to be very popular on Fotolog. Nowadays, they are popular on Facebook and Myspace.
-Pelolais and Cuicos are synonyms.

These are just some characteristics of Pelolais People, but there is a lot more...you can find out them by yourself =)

Coming up soon...Flaites

2nd. Expression

"Soy terrible pollo"

This expression is used to emphasise somebody's weakness. It is a bit derogatory slang, and it can be used in many contexts.

For instance, check the following dialogue:

Carlitos: Pancho, te gusta la Chabelita?

(Pancho, do you fancy Chabelita?)

Pancho: Sí, me gusta mucho...me hace sentir en las nubes.

(Yes, I do...She makes me feel in heaven.)

Carlitos: Ya po', cuéntale!

(Come on, tell her the truth!)

Pancho: No, me puede rechazar

(No, I'm afraid she might reject me)

Carlitos: Uy, la mujercita...Soy terrible pollo!

(Uhh...the little girl!...You are terribly chicken!)

*You can also use it with other collocations. They can be either:

-Eri terrible pollo! (Eri entero 'e pollo!)

or...

-Soy entero 'e pollo!

Got it? We are sure you did. Now, you can use it in your daily chilean speech :)