the language

May 2004
We have continued to use our translator who has also helped to shed some light on some Spanish ways and customs. Steve has a better ear for the language than I do and therefore when he does speak it, is generally understood – I am still struggling and keep promising to get enrolled in classes which I think will help.

June 2004
When speaking to our neighbour Joaquina one evening, the usual question about how old we were was met as usual, by the truth from Wendy but I playfully answered "25". This bought forth from Joaquina a snort of derision and the statement that I was an "Jovarto". Rapid reference to our trusty dictionary showed that "Jovarto" was an old man but that the word was of South American Spanish origin. We were curious as to how a lady of South American descent had lived for many years in an Andalusian village but we just accepted it.

Time passed and as we watched more Spanish television, we noticed that there were many programs that were made in the U.S.A. and over dubbed into Spanish. Realisation struck one day when we were having lunch in a restaurant and the T. V. was showing an episode of "The Simpsons". Homer called is dad an "Jovarto" (old man) and this is how Joaquina had learned the word. The biggest market for U.S. programs is over the border and the dubbed language was for those markets in "South American" Spanish. Spanish T. V. companies merely imported them as they came and the result is a bit like the effect of Australian soaps on the English language in Britain..

July 2004
I got the set of Michel Thomas CD’s and I have done the first 2 of 8 and I am finding the course very enjoyable. It is giving me more confidence as I am beginning to learn how to structure sentences using the correct verbs. Steve has learned lots of nouns, so between us we make a fair fist of things. This weekend our language skills were really tested as we went to the lake with Luisa, her sister Rafi, friends, children etc.. Luisa still cannot fully understand why we have no children and I decided that it is better in a Catholic country where children are adored, not to tell them that you did want any so it seemed better to say that I have no ovaries, which is now true.

This turned Luisa’s mind to our sex life which brought forth gales of laughter as we had to keep referring to our dictionary to translate what she was saying.

What a rude lady !!

June 2005
Another year has passed and I have still only done 4 of the 8 Michel Thomas CD’s! We have both picked up quite a lot by watching Spanish TV. We tend to watch the news and now again an overdubbed American program or film. ER is quite easy to follow in Spanish!

The other Sunday (8th May) it was Cortijuelos day when they carry the Virgen on a float into our street (it takes about 20 men to carry it) and then they dance up and down the road with it, followed by half the population of Ruté.

We held an open house party and Luisa and her boyfriend Antonio, his sister Rafi, her cousin and all their various children came in for a drink. As they speak no English and or Spanish was limited, it was a bit difficult, however, Luisa managed to explain, with a twinkle in her eye, that Antonio’s sister’s husband was working away and she was therefore not ‘getting it’ regularly.

She asked Steve if he understood and he replied in (nearly) perfect Spanish that he understood all the bad Spanish words to which they all fell about laughing.