Fact Friday #22- Language I

Differences from Spain Spanish-

Chileans use a lot of slang. This confuses all foreigners, including fluent Spanish speakers. For a culture where formal dress is the norm, one would expect the same of the language. However, it is not the case. Chilean Spanish is quite informal and vulgar, and many common phrases can be insults if used in the wrong text. Different websites will give you lists miles long of these “Chileanismos”. Here are just a few. 

Influence of Other Peoples-

The influence of the indigenous cultures and of the other immigrants to Chile is strongly felt in their version of the Spanish language, commonly referred to as “Chilean”. From the many idioms and Chilenismos, to the strong accents, Chilean is definitely made unique by its sub-cultures.

Bilingual Chileans-

Around 11% of Chileans are bilingual. Most people that are speak English, or an indigenous language.

Only upper class and highly educated Chileans speak English fluently. Outside of this around 10.8% of less do. Most young people however speak some because they learn it in school.

Idioms-

Chilean Spanish is full of idioms. Some of the best are below:

1. To tell someone to mind their own business, you would say, “Salto lejos el mani.” Which literally means “Look how far the peanut jumped”.
2. To tell someone that someone is in a bad mood, you say, “Tiene malas pulgas.” This literally means “He/she has bad flees.”
3. Finally, to say that a meal was delicious, you say that it was “Chuparse los bigotes” or to lick my moustache.

The Accent-

I have heard the Chilean accent described in many different ways. Anywhere from, “It's the most universal Spanish accent” to “I took 2 years of Spanish, but when I first got there, I had no idea what anyone was saying.” I also have heard that it is really beautiful and sounds like Italian. But I've since found out that that's in Argentina. The one thing that everyone agrees on is that they talk super fast. I hardly notice it.