Tuesday, September 29, 2009

...when certain Spanish words tickle my fancy

I'll be honest: I don't think my Spanish is improving as much as I thought it would down here. I can get around fine, sure, and if I ask someone to repeat something and they finally slow down enough, I can understand most of what's said to me. I'm in a bit of a self-concious, non-experimenting phase of Spanish: I don't feel fluent enough, so I avoid talking more than I need to. But I am continually absorbing, and paying attention to things (especially foods, for some reason). And I've come across some interesting points in the Spanish language, points especially interesting for a wordplay guy like me. So far they fall into two categories: words that strike me and seem especially apt in Spanish, which seem to convey more perfectly the precise meaning more fluidly than any English counterpart I've found, and Spanish words (more commonly, brand names) that approximate an English word using the different pronunciation of the Spanish language. It's that second category I want to focus on, and if you don't get what I mean, you should catch on quickly.

Fud - pronounced "food," Fud is a name brand of prepackaged meat (unless I've missed other "Fud" items carrying that moniker). While it certainly is truthful in what's inside the package, I kind of wish the brand could be more specific (Mit) as to what I'm buying or try to make me feel like it's a positive purchase (Gud Fud, or Teisti Fud), but no. It's just Fud. Eat it.

Chiz - now this is the specificity I'm talking about. Chiz is obviously a cheese product - it's pronounced exactly the same! Of course, this is an emphasis on the "product," as Chiz is a fake prepackaged cheese dip mix. So you get the idea as to the nature of the product more than Fud, but it's still quite misleading, as Chiz is not really cheese, but more of a cheese affiliate.

Dogui - an interesting use of Spanish pronunciation, as the "u" is necessary to harden the g followed by an "ee" sound (otherwise it would be pronounced "dohi") Dogui is a dog food brand. The name has little to do with the actual contents of the package, unlike Fud and Chiz.

Sponch - this is a true approximation, as the Spanish language does not have a hard "j" sound. The equivalent unvoiced "ch" is as close as it comes. Sponch is a type of prepackaged cookie, actually. It's got some sort of wafer topped with spongy (ah, there it is) marshamllow things. It looks about as fake and unhealthy as the Chiz.

Yipy - Clearly an attempt to spell "Yippee!" Another cookie brand, this one is pretty straightforward if not indicative of what to expect from the product apart from glee of some sort.

I'll keep watching out for these, and keep collecting them. I find them interesting, and hopefully you sort of did, too.

2 comments:

  1. Aaron,
    Could my 7/8 kids contact you about Honduras? They are very interested in the political unrest and we are studying Latin America in Geography. Do you Skype? Could they talk to you in person????

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  2. Hey, I think I figured out how to post. I sent you a comment yesterday on your fud and chz and such. GUess you didn't get that one... but now I know....

    ReplyDelete