Hi MM. Taco means stud. So it looks like Rubia666 was out looking for studs!
Interesting.

While I did spend more than my fair share of time out seeking studs, and there were plenty to enjoy. After all, I am rubia, add to this tall, and blue eyed, (talk about the stare thread! There isn't too much of that to be seen) Anyway, I usually had a companion before leaving home, but hey, the scenery was terrific anyway!
Having said all this, what I meant was a litte plastic piece that you put into the wall before you place the large screw in the wall, mostly for heavy objects.
Hmmmm, never thought of stud hunting at the hardware store......

Forgot to mention...
Now I live in Missouri. I moved to Spain when I was 8 and left when I was 23.
Holding up my "Madrid or bust" sign!

Madridman,

When real_megia said "little do they know that spaniards don't EAT tacos, they SPEAK them!" the meaning of "taco" was swear word.

Do you understand the joke now?

Saludos,

Antonio

Yup! Thanks for the explanation, buddy!

Nuria:
There aren't really that many Spanish people who have immigrated to the U.S. (not like Irish or Italians or Mexicans or Vietnamese or the new wave of Russians).

There are a lot of Puerto Ricans and Cubans (Cuba belonged to Spain until 1898) who call themselves 'Spanish' in New Jersey. So most NorteAmericanos have no idea of differences between these people and European Spanish.

I taught a course in Spanish to 13 & 14 year old children in my Parish school. Most had no idea where Spain was. But I enlightened them! I insisted on adhering to castellano
pronunciation and including the 2nd person plural (donde vais vosotros) which the text had just about omitted.

How do we perceive the Spanish? The answer to your question is probably that we don't know any people from Spain, just Dominicans and Cubans and Puertoricans and Colombians, etc., etc.

Augh, Eddie, why did you have to teach 'vosotros'?? We Latins never, ever use it. It's not even used in parts of Spain!

[This message has been edited by Wendy E (edited 08-26-2000).]

Uh-Oh. Is this going to turn into a "Proper" Spanish thread? What parts of Spain don't use vosotros??

'Vosotros' isn't used in Sevilla nor, I think, is it used in the Canary Islands. Since most of the sailors and conquistadores during colonialism came from those two areas, the 'vosotros' form was not imported to Latin America. There is not a single Latin country that uses that form.

Some countries, most notably Argentina and El Salvador, and some parts of Nicaragua, still use 'vos' instead of 'tu', which is a throwback to Latin, but is in no way plural.

It's not about what's the 'proper' way of speaking Spanish, but I think teaching 'vosotros' to Americans is like teaching ESL kids to spell 'color' and 'humor' with a 'u'.
I'd like to hear other opinions on this.



[This message has been edited by Wendy E (edited 08-26-2000).]

Wendy,

Whether or not Spansh speakers otside of Castilla use vosotros congagations is not the issue. Nearly all of the educated Spanish speaker outside of Spain understand the vosotros form even if they do not use it. The majority of Bibles used in Latin America are printed with the vosotros usage, just as the King James Bible is ubequiteous in the English speaking world.

Foreign students of Spanish should be instructed in the use of vosotros, so that they may understand the rich Iberian literature that includes - Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Lorca, etc. Students in the United States should understand typically British usage as well- fortnight, colour, flavour, etc.. American students should be exposed to a greater range of knowledge, not a more limitted one.

As for the vos usage in Central America and the cone countries of South America, I think learning it would serve students well also. The proper Spanish is the one that the educated people of a country speak. Cockney or Eubonics dose not represent standardized English, anymore than the "Pocho" Spanish that is so common in the United States represents the language of the Real Academia. We must be vigiliant in our defense of the rich Spanish language from Anglosicims and ingnorance.




[This message has been edited by Shawn (edited 08-26-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Shawn (edited 08-26-2000).]