Alasdair Lean

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Words that must be pronounced |-ly-|

Recently a young lady talked about an "utensiyo," utensil, pron. |ootenseezho|. (Is she the only one?) This is natural and forgivable as it seems a diminutive in -illo, with the normal pronunciation of River Plate Spanish. Maybe this word is becoming a full-fledged, "de facto" diminutive. Here goes a list of words with the same ending, mostly obvious:

cilia; afilio/a/e; auxilio/a/e; exilio/a/e; (re)concilio/a/e; berilio; utensilio; familia; vigilia;

Others containing the -li- group would hardly be mistaken: alio/a/e; palio/a/e; salio/a; galio; talio; ganglio; amplio; da(h)lia; tantalio; castalia (fountain of the muses); parafernalia; (peri)helio; afelio; epitelio; camelia; eutrapelia; contumelia; eolio/a; embolia; magnolia; óleo; polio; folio; solio [throne]; escolio; petróleo; capitolio; portafolio(s); abulia; cerúleo/a; tertulia; galeón; talión; camaleón; rebelión; balear; ralear; pelear; golear; solear(se); espoliar; espolear; moliendo/a; valiendo; saliendo; soliendo; puliendo; valiente; caliente; saliente; emoliente; valioso/a; galeota; escoliosis;
Cornelio/a; Ofelia; Amelia; Aurelio/a; Carelia; Cordelia; Morelia; Rumelia; Cecilio/a; Duilio; Atilio; Antilia; Basilio; Marsilio; Virgilio; Italia; Australia; Sicilia; Pompilio; Podolia; Mongolia; Anatolia; Julio/a; Tulio; Apulia; Julián/a; Pantaleón; Napoleón; mendeliano/a; hegeliano/a; froebeliano/a; Emiliano; Maximiliano; Eliana; Liliana; Baleares; Julieta;

* * *

All these curiosities arose in the course of compiling a dictionary of rhymes, which at some point will very likely be published. One ends up playing with words, so here go a few brief (incomplete) lists.

Palindromic Words & Phrases:

somos; sedes; seques; ceses; seres; Ceres; debed; sacás; salas; sotos; solos; rayar; rallar; radar; rajar; rapar; rever; rotor; sanás; nadan; narran; sus; yatay; ata; el... ama, asa, ala ...le; ara; acá; allá; efe; ele; eme; ene; ere; erre; ese; el... ojo, oro, oso ...le; anilina; orejero; arenera; arañara; abanaba; avalaba; a la sala; se la(s) sales; esa base; eso goce; o laválo; sometemos; asomáramos a; acá saca; a que seca; acurruca; a mi lima; la teme tal; la mete mal; echála, che; eche leche; a Somoza; eso lo sé; esa base; ése bese; ése vese; asomamos a, asomemos a; a su musa; a su rusa; o su buzo; o su ruso; a mi rima; o me temo; (reconocer); erigiré;

   In fact, there are people that go in for inventing palindromes. ("Dábale arroz a la zorra el abad." "A man, a plan, a canal... Panama!") I am not aware of their authors' names. What use are they? Just as an amusement. They often mean more to the eye than the ear (which is why it is necessary to announce they are palindromes).

With and without (always mute) h:

(h)ay; (h)as-haz; (h)ato; haces-ases; harpa=arpa; harmonía=armonía; (h)ato; (h)asta; (h)arca; (h)ala; (h)amo; (h)aya; (h)ala; (h)aras; (h)abano; (h)atajo; al(h)ambra; (h)ablando; (h)errar; (h)echo/a; des(h)echo/a; en(h)ebro; (h)izo; (h)ice; Inca-hinca; (h)orca; (h)osco/a; (h)orno; (h)ola; (h)ora; (h)orado; (h)ojear; (h)onda; (h)uno/a; (h)uso;

Pairs of Words with c (or z) and s

cien-sien; azar-asar; haciendo-asiendo, hacía-asía, hace-ase; azada-asada; sapo-zapo; bazo-baso; baza-basa; taza-tasa; cazo-caso; laso-lazo; caza-casa; maza-masa; raza-rasa; saga-zaga; braza-brasa; bazar-basar; asada-azada; cace-case; bracero-brasero; pace(n)-pase(n); paces-pases; faces-fases; cauce-cause; dance-danse; trance-transe; cedo-sedo; ceda-seda; cede-sede; ciego/a-siego/a; cepa-sepa; ciento-siento; ceca-seca; zueco-sueco; ceno-seno; cierra-sierra; bezo-beso; ceso-seso; peces-peses; meces-meses; reces-reses; vence-vense; cito/a-sito/a; cima-sima (these two are opposite in meaning!); liso-lizo; liza-lisa; riza-risa; vos-voz; loza-losa; roza-rosa; reboso/a/e-rebozo/a/ce; coces-coses; cocer-coser; pozo-poso; voceo-voseo; poceo-poseo; cesión-sesión; cusco-Cuzco; zumo-sumo; capás-capaz; verás-veraz; mordás-mordaz; raés-rahez; salás-salaz; asás- asaz; vivás-vivaz; montarás-montaraz; vejés-vejez; doblés-doblez; estrechés-estrechez; esquivés-esquivez; invalidés-invalidez; liquidés-liquidez; servís-cerviz; vos-voz, etc.

Other Paronyms

callado-cayado; acervo-acerbo; bazo-vaso; bese(s)-vese-veces; bote-vote; boto-voto; bota-vota; bate-vate; beta-veta; barita-varita; bises-vices; savia-sabia; deshizo-deciso; injerir-ingerir; rollo-royo (from "roer"); gravar-grabar; kilo-quilo; payar-pallar; vello-bello; revelo/a/e-rebelo/a/e; cayo-callo; maya-malla; rayo/a-rallo/a; baya-vaya-valla; vario-bario; halla-haya-aya; yanto-llanto; yanta-llanta; valido/balido; bienes-vienes; ribera-rivera; cavo-cabo; tuvo-tubo; tuyo-tullo;

Pairs of nouns ending in -o and -a

(and a few in -e) with different meanings. Sometimes they are of the same origin, e.g. modo/a, but the meanings have drifted apart. Lunfardo words are included.

pago/a; alto/a; [a kind of pumpkin:] anco/a; arco/a; aro/a; pavo/a; rabo/a; zambo/a; hado/a; nado/a; bando/a; tango/a; mango/a; papo/a; capo/a; dato/a; pato/a; plato/a; rato/a; trato/a; llanto/a; cuarto/a; pasto/a; tranco/a; banco/a; marco/a; cacho/a; tacho/a; tallo/a; [a mallet:] mallo/a; rayo/a/e; fallo/a; galo/a; palo/a; ramo/a; tramo/a; palmo/a; cuadro/a; rastro/a; barro/a; bajo/a; bazo/a; paso/a/e; caso/a; cazo/a; mazo/a; brazo/a; caballo/a; ruedo/a; deudo/a; veto/a; feto/a; [a hedge:] seto/a [a mushroom]; vento/a; cuento/a; puerto/a; puesto/a; resto/a; gesto/a; cuenco/a; velo/a; telo/a/e; suelo/a; [seno/ cena]: perno/a [#molusc]; pero/a; cero/a; peso/a; ribero/a; yerro/a; tejo/a; [a spike, etc:] rejo/a; [mist:] cejo/a; acero/a; carrero/a; cantero/a; cartero/a; mareo/a; centeno/a; correo/a; timbo/a; mito/a; quinto/a; cinto/a; dicho/a; grillo/a; orillo/a; rodillo/a; filo/a; siglo/a; limo/a; tiro/a; viso/a; lizo/a; oro/a; (ojo/ hoja); bombo/a; combo/a; codo/a; modo/a; fondo/a; copo/a; trompo/a; coto/a; moto/a/e; soto/a; monto/a/e; costo/a; toco/a/que; coco/a/que; moco/a; pollo/a; bolo/a; tomo/a; lomo/a; bromo/a; aromo/a; moro/a; porro/a; morro/a; cotorro/a; tubo/a; cubo/a; tumbo/a; rumbo/a; grupo/a; punto/a; cuño/a; rótulo/a; garrapato/a; etc.

Other pairs have practically identical meanings: canto/e; manto/a; llamado/a; canasto/a; huerto/a; cerco/a; cesto/a; costos/as; gorro/a;

Pairs in o/e, a/e:

carreta/e; parca/que; charco/que; chasco/qui; [edge:] canto/e; parto/e; trasto/e; [washtub:] bacha/e; seda/e; pesto/e; poso/e; gozo=goce; mata/e; loto/e; bota/e; gajo/e; moto/a/e; posta/e; bleca [lf. cable]/que; Checa,Cheka [USSR secret police]/checa/que;

Feminine Words in -o

radio; mano; nao; seo; lírico; foto; moto; soprano; contralto; mezzo; "combo," (juvenile slang ~hamburger shops, the same as:) promo(ción); Amparo; Consuelo; Cartago; Nueva Chicago;

Negative Words, Mainly Adjectives

beginning in- (im-, i-, etc.) in its privative sense, i.e. the opposites of the original word. But the same does not exist, at least in the same form (just as in English you have unkempt but not kempt, unbeknownst, but not beknownst):

inhóspito/a (hóspito does not exist); informe; incólume; impertérrito/a; ignorante, ignaro/a; imbécil; implacable; impudente; inane; imberbe; inerme; indemne; inconsútil; incoloro/a; inefable; incuria; indigente; indigesto/a; individual; indolente; insolente; inerte, inercia; inedia; inepcia; inenarrable; infante; infortunio; infundio; inicuo/a; injuria; inocuo/a; inodoro; inocente; inopia; insulso/a; insania; insecto; inusitado/a;

Words Introduced by se- and es-

(se: a Latin particle = "away," "without") secreto; sedición; secesión; seducir; selecto; separar; sepelio; sepultar.

   Very often "es-" goes at the head of words that in other languages begin sp-, st-, sk-, inadmissible in an initial position in Spanish (and also French). So: espera [L. sper-], estar [L. stare], escuela [L., fr. Gk. skholé.] But in other cases this particle represents L. ex, out of. Here goes a selection:

escapar [appar. from the tactic used by Roman soldiers to break free of their captors, if they fell prisoners, by divesting themselves of their capes ex+capa]; escardar [to weed thistles (cardos) and others]; escampar [clear up (clouds) esclusa [L. exclusa, sclusa, lock of a canal, same wd. as exclúdere, exclude]; escocer [L. excóquere, boil dry]; escoger [L. ex +collígere, gather]; escuadra [L. ex+quadr-]. And a few more: escurrir [L. ex-cúrrere, run out, leak]; espirar (= exhale) [acc. to dictionaries, fr. L. spirare, breathe. Yet it makes more sense that it should come from e(x) + spirare, breathe out. Latin ex was often reduced to e.] Estirar: the wd. tirar [in both senses: throw (away), pull] is of unknown orig. It did not exist in Latrin, like so many more that have appeared in the diverse Romance langgs. not only from German, or Gothic in the case of Spanish, but from the Celtic substratum the Romans overpowered, which did not disappear. Others came from the East, and still others must surely have been extemporaneous coinages, perhaps "pieza, pedazo," which only appeared in Late or Medieval Latin. Where do "pequeño," It. píccolo, F. petit come from? In Gaelic beag |bek|, gen. big |bik| means "small." It is odd E. big should mean the very opposite. In general words like *piqui, *chiqui, or Mapuche pichi, as in Pichileufú, "little stream or current," etc., give an idea of smallness. Also Guaraní "miní," as in "Paraná miní." L. "parvus," small, instead, suggests an idea of enormity, the same as "magnus," or Guaraní "guazú." Paraná Guazú, the Great Paraná; Iguazú, Great Water. (The resemblance of Guaraní ö, water, and F. eau is remarkable: obviously totally independent formations.)

   Finally estremecer [L ex + trémere, tremble.]

Esconder, instead, comes fr. L. abscóndere, put out of sight, away, fr. abs, away (= G. ab) + con + dare (give). Another with a different origin is estimar [L. aestimare.] Might it be related to L. aes, copper, bronze, metal, money? This leaves the rest of the word unexplained: there is no known L. wd. *timare— only Gk. timao, to honour.

   As for "español," which in many langgs. is pronounced without the e (E. Spanish, G. spanisch, Gaelic Spàinteach, It. spagnuolo, but F. espagnol, Ru. ispánskiy). It comes fr. L. Hispania, so the initial E is no surprise. As for espinaca, appar. it comes fr. Pers. aspanakh.

Some Two-Gender Words

Apart fr. el/la calor (with the fem. somewhat looked down on. It should be observed that F. chaleur is fem. Ambiguities often originate in the 3rd. Latin declension, whose endings are the same for both masc. and fem.. In F. there is le lait, milk, masc. Even odder are G. die Sonne, der Mond, the sun, f., the moon, m.) Mexicans talk of el radio, the radio, wireless, whereas in Argentina it is fem., el radio meaning "radium." Argentines also say el coliflor, derived from "flor," fem. There are also those that say "el azúcar negra," which is a totally incongruous construction: azúcar is masc. El is indeed used before feminine nouns beginning with a, but only when the a is stressed. Thus you have "el agua," "el hada," but "la amada," "la hamaca."

   el/la sartén, margen, mar; el/la mañana; el/la caza; el/la papa; el/la rata; el/la banana; el/la trompa; el/la mota; el/la tilde; el/la parte; el Génesis, la génesis. In dictionaries apocalipsis is masc., and the same may have happened as with "génesis," The fact, though, is that Gk. wds in -is are fem., and this is so with apokálypsis, revelation. (Observe, too, the displacement of the stress due to the passage of the word through Latin, in which the group -ps- obliges the stress to be transferred to the syllable immediately preceding it.

Verbs of Different Conjugations and Other Words

A sample:

asar, azar, asir, hacer, azor, azur; salar, salir; sentar, sentir; asentar, asentir; sumar, sumir; podar, poder; pocear, poseer; cavar, caber; sedar, ceder; vendar, vender; prendar, prender; desplazar, desplacer; empezar, empecer; vivar, vivir; segar, cegar, seguir, segur; tejar, tejer; fundar, fundir; mentar, mentir, mentor; salar, salir; parar, parir; morar, morir; visar, visir, visor; tallar, taller; paliar, palier; mujer, mugir; primar, primer, primor; haber, abur; tenar, tener, tenor; solar, soler; calar, calor; pasar, pacer; colar, color; señar, ceñir, señor; albar, albor; balar, valer, valor;

   -ar/-or: am-, clam-, rapt-, capt-, cant-, past-, gest-, tens-, cens-, pic-, rot-, sud-, desert--ar/-or;

   -er/-or: tem-, dol-, hed-, val-, sab--er/-or; hervir/or;

Ending in -s

asás, asaz, hacés, asís; fer-az/ -oz; parás/ -ís/ París; atr-ás/ -oz/ a tres; chap-ás/ -uz; ra-hez/ -és/ íz; haz/ hez/ es/ hoz; faz/ fez; vas/ ves/ bis/ vos/ voz; fesa/ fosa/ fusa; faso/ foso; tapás/ -iz; capaz, -ás/ -uz; tamiz/ Tammuz; perd-és/ iz; rem-ás/ -ís; dobl-ás/ -ez; esquiv-ás/ -ez; mord-az/ -és; sol-az/ -és/ Solís; voraz/ Borís (stressed on the last syllable!); sal-az, -ás/ salís; matr-az/ -iz; lataz/ la tez/ la tos; etc.

Ending in -l

sin sal, sol/ cincel; tonal/ -el; col/ cal; calo/ kilo/ colo/ culo; cala/ cola; caracol, caracul; barral/ -il; panal/ -el; pañal/ -ol; canal/ -il; a sol/ azul; bozal/ -cel; tendal/ -el; mental/ -ol; tal/ tul; casual/ cazuela; capital/ -el; carral/ -il; pretal/ -il; dedal/ -il; viral/ -il/ -ola; misal/ -il/ mi sal, sol, sala, silo; papal/ -el; plantal/ -el; vital/ -el; aval/ Abel; textual/ -il; peral/ -ol [vase]; oval/ ovil;

Ending in -n

batán/ -ón; patán/ -ín/ ón; Satán/ -én; Belén/ -ín/ velón; mantén/ -ón; betón/ -ún; harán/ -én; latín/ -ón; balín/ -ón; bulín/ -ón; galán/ -ón; Benjamín/ ven jamón; el masón/ almacén/ almuecín; mitín/ -ón; botín/ -ón; festín/ -ón; de cotén/ -ín; cojín/ -ón; chupín/ -ón; gabán/ Gabón;

Colloquial Abbreviations

In daily speech the following (some of them out of fashion, oof, i.e. the abbreviation, though not necessarily the complete word) are often abbreviated: ma; pa; mami; papi; bat/a, -ero (bater/ía, -ista); chanta(pufi); taca(ño— oof); fanfa(rrón— oof); mate(mática); (ator)rante [oof]; (camba)lache [oof]: tranqui(lo/a); radio(rreceptor, etc.); sardo (sergeant); auto(móvil); (napoli)tano/a; trafo (transformador); maso (más o menos); facu(ltad); cachu(cha— female organ— used little); tele(vi/sor, -sión); depre(sivo/a, -sión); presi(dente); (so)breto(do); depto; seño(rita— schoolteacher); flía (family); sinte(tizador); dire(ctor/a); vice (several); ofiche (officer); cine(matógrafo); bici(cleta); disco(teca); micro(ómnibus); bolche(vique); cole(gio); profe(sor/a); combi(nado); poli(cía); moto(cicleta); foto(grafía); orto (fr. "hortelano"); colo(rado); mono (monaural); porno(gráfico); compu(tadora); uni(versidad, rare); funco/a/e; subte(rráneo); de prepo(tencia); sumbo/ zumbo (NCO); estéreo(fónico); masoca (masochist); pato-, sico-, fisio- etc. (logía);

Student and juvenile terms

traga(r); bocho; gancho; olfa; mante/o, -ar; ratearse; machete(ar); poliladron;

Vesre and Abbreviations in Lunfardo

Vesre, the inversion of "revés," is used by Lunfardo (River Plate slang) to prevent the uninitiated from understanding. It has a humorous side to it, much as Cockney rhyming slang, and makes use of the very simple expedient of turning the word back to front, either strictly or by syllables, etc. There are different devices, which we will not detail here, of performing this inversion. José Gobello explains them in his Diccionario Lunfardo. The most usual is by syllables.

   Here is a selection: troesma; de dorapa (de parado, standing up); jeropa (pajero, impolite); gomía; tordo (doctor); llobaca; camba; ñoba; jetra; joraca; mionca; al dope; lope; rope; sope; troli de novi; broli; ofri; lorca; sobe; pelpa; bleca; feca; chele; vesre; gotán; timbo; talompa, lompa; grone (and its deriv. groncho); nami; ponja (jap/anese); garca(r); trompa; boncha; zapán; zabeca; jermu; ¿que te jedi?; bolonqui; dorima; colimba (fr. "milico," soldier); goruta (fr. "tarugo," an Italian); ¿qué sapa?; beyompa (fr. pabellón, a prison pavillion); bramaje (women <—brema, hembra, female); choma, chomita (mach(it)o); breca (cabrearse); celma (almacén: grocer shop); ciapoli (policía); codemi (médico); cocinero (cinco); cobani (fr. abanico); piola (orig. <—limpio); colibriyo, colifato (<—colo, loco); condrepa (compadre); chogán; naesqui (esquina); sempio (pensión); tegenaite (gente); jovato, javie; fercha (chofer); garpar; ortiva (<—batidor); yoruga (uruguayo); viorsi (servicio, latrine); (pa)langa(na);

Jocular words and expressions

Many, though not all, are derived from proper names: baratieri (barato: Oreste Baratieri, Italian general); bolita (Bolivian); chacabuco (achacado, fr. Chacabuco, a battle); "¿Qué me contursi?" (fr. Pascual or José María Contursi, two tango lyricists); escasany (escaso, fr. Casa Escasany, a well-known Buanos Aires jewellery shop); cayetano (callado); piantadini (piantao), musarela (in silence, fr. It. musa, quiet! oof); canasta (jail <—cana <—Venetian encaenar, to put in chains); "¿Qué talco?" (¿Qué tal?); "¿Qué panza?" (¿Qué pasa?); "¿Cómo andamio?" (¿Cómo andamos?) "¿Qué panza?" (¿Qué pasa?); "¿Qué acelga?" (¿Qué hacés?); And the somewhat worn-out answers, "Aquí me ando, porque no sé lo q'hago," o "Cada vez más turbado";

   hechiso (hecho en casa, homemade, fr. hechizo, spell); invernizio (overcoat <—a surname resembling "invierno"); ladrillo (=ladrón); locatelli (=loco <—a surname); palmieri (=palmado, tired, dead, a surname); pereira (pera, chin, a surname); servatana (=sirvienta <—cerbatana, a blowpipe); vagoneta (vago); yacumina (levita <—Giacumín, Joaquincito <—jacket); checonato (checo, vr. of "coche," car <—surname Cecconato);

   (A phrase that seems to have vanished is "Se igual" = Es igual.)

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