Dawn

Dawn

Sunday, October 17, 2004

After several years of hard labour, the Royal Academy for the Spanish Language has issued a dictionary which aims to clear up certain linguistic uncertainties within the Hispanic world. Here are a few which caught my Anglo-Saxon eye in yesterday’s report:-

Words no longer permissible in Spanish, together with the approved word:-

Rafting – Balsismo

Airbag – Bolsa de aire

Consulting – Consultaría

Mobbing [sexual harrassment] – Acoso laboral or Acoso moral

Supermodelo – Top-model

Windsurfing - Tablavela


Words that are acceptable provided that….


Gay – To be spelled and pronounced gaí

Rock and Roll – To be rocanrol

Ranking – To be ranquín

By-pass – To be baipas

Zoom – To be zum


Spanish neologisms that need to be fully Hispanicised:-


Puenting – To be puentismo



I have to admit that every time I see a report like this, a vision of Canute springs to mind.


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