During the many years I lived in Puerto Rico, a garbage can was a zafacón. Much to my surprise, when I used the word in a group of Spanish speakers here in Spokane, I got blank stares. Zafacón, it seems, derives from the English ‘safety can’ and is only used in Puerto Rico and perhaps a neighboring island or two. (The word for ‘garbage can’ in Chile is tacho or tarro de basura, I believe.) Because of the island’s close association with the U.S., when English-language speakers in Puerto Rico are unsure of a word in Spanish, they can give the English word a Spanish pronunciation, and hope for the best. Quite often they’ll be understood. I don’t think that’s going to work so well in Chile …
Not a pepper:
You can say ‘Peru’ or ‘Argentina’ or ‘Venezuela’ with an American accent, and there will be no confusion as to meaning. Not true for Chile. Use an American pronunciation, and you could be referring to a pepper popular in Mexico or the sensation in an overly air-conditioned room. To zero in on the country, you must pronounce it ‘chee’ as in Cheetos, and ‘lay’ as in Frito Lay, spoken quickly and with an airy tone.
Longitudes:
Living on the west coast of North America, I assumed Chile, on the west coast of South America, was directly south. Only when I learned the country fell into the same time zone as North America’s east coast did I open a map and realize the error of my assumption.
Flags:
The flag of Chile
The Chilean flag and the Texan state flag look suspiciously similar, the primary difference being that the blue in the Texan version extends to the bottom of the left side. The Chilean flag was adopted first, in 1817; that of Texas in 1839. Both seem to have taken inspiration from the U.S. design. In the Chilean flag, the blue represents the sky and sea; the white, the Andes Mountains; and the red, the blood and sacrifice in achieving independence. Curiously, the Chilean flag is nicknamed La Estrella Solitaria (the lone star), similar to Texas’s nickname as the Lone Star State. Something to ponder (or not).
Here’s another one for you. “Ahorita” is not used for “right now.” Instead, they use an expression that roughly translates to “I shoot you!” Sort of a Texan like “git to it!” The flag thing jumped out at me, too. But then, the French flag has the same colors as the Texas flag, but without the star.
Thanks for commenting! I’m sure I’m going to encounter lots of puzzling differences.
Zafacón come from Andalusia and the Canary Islands, where the ancestors of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic come from – just like the dialect of Spanish they all speak. It’s from Arabic influence that lasted the longest in that region of Spain as do many Spanish words. It’s not from “safety can.” English has had a lot of influence over Spanish but this is not one of them.
You are right, Steven, and I have learned something. Thank you for sharing this with me and my followers.
Saw the comment about zafa and zafacon. I grew up in the DR; zafacon was a garbage container, and zafa was a comment of irritation and desire to be done with a given conversation.