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Spanish Words of Foreign Origin: Germanismos (Part 1) Posted by Anais on Aug 24, 2020
There are two kinds of germanismos: those words having its roots way back into the past, that is to say the Germanic languages from yesteryear (Frankish, Gothic…); and those coming from the relatively modern German language, be it Old High German or its modern, standardized version spoken today in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. The lexicon…
Spanish Words of Foreign Origin: Arabismos Posted by Anais on Jul 28, 2020
Arabismos are Spanish words whose origins trace back to the Arabic language. There are plenty of them in la lengua de Cervantes, a direct consequence of over seven centuries of Muslim dominance in the Iberian Peninsula. Words from Arabic appear often on everyday fields, like agriculture, manufacture, handicraft or manual labor, as that language left…
Spanish Words of Foreign Origin: Galicismos Posted by Anais on Jul 20, 2020
Continuing with the extranjerismos or words of foreign origin in Spanish, in this post I will present you los galicismos, which are words that come from the French language… and that not only comprise names for dishes or kitchen utensils. Here you will find some examples. Afiche: From French “affiche”, a piece of paper…
Spanish Words of Foreign Origins: Italianismos Posted by Anais on Jun 29, 2020
Italianismos or Italianisms are words borrowed from Italian language. Thanks to the geographic proximity and historical exchanges between Italy and the Iberian Peninsula, Spanish became rich in Italian loanwords. Most of them are related to the arts, be it architecture, music, gastronomy, literature or theatre, and its influence has been notorious. In this blog you…
Spanish Words of Foreign Origins: Latinismos Posted by Anais on Jun 26, 2020
In Spanish, the words of foreign origin are called extranjerismos, which derives from extranjero (foreign). These words have been incorporated into Spanish without being translated or with minimal changes in their original meanings, though the pronunciation and spelling are oftentimes adapted to the conventions of the recipient language. Extranjerismos are also known as préstamos…
Rhetorical Figures in Spanish Literature (Part 2) Posted by Anais on May 29, 2020
As I promised in my previous post, let’s continue revising some of the most used rhetorical figures in Spanish literature. Hyperbaton El hipérbaton Is the changing of position regarding the natural word order in a given language. Del salón en el ángulo oscuro, de su dueña tal vez olvidada, silenciosa y cubierta de polvo…
Rhetorical Figures in Spanish Literature (Part 1) Posted by Anais on May 25, 2020
Rhetorical figures are intentional deviations from the conventional sequence of words in a literary work, whose purpose is to create a sensorial meaning or rhetorical effect. Some rhetorical figures can be associated with figurative language, as it usually encompasses a non-literal usage of words, meant to evoke a variety of emotions from readers. Rhetorical figures…