Language is a living element, which is nourished by its contexts and is always in constant change, transformation and adaptation. Therefore, the process of language agglutination is something natural and allows the enrichment of the language itself.
Various contexts determine the drastic change of graphemes, in relation to their signifier and meaning; In the case of Spanish, we can see the influence of various cultures due to various social, cultural and often warlike processes that have occurred over the years, such as: the Arabic, during the Moorish invasion of Spain for almost eight centuries, or the case of the indigenous and African during the so-called golden centuries (XVI-XVII), coinciding with the first stage of the colonization of the American continent.
A clear example of this process in Colombia is the fusion and resignification of many indigenous words; In the country there are currently approximately 68 languages of the native communities, which are not officially recognized, but little by little they are part of the life of Colombians.
When going to the Laguna del Cacique de Guatavita de Sesquilé, the tour that can be had in this place can expand and deepen this aspect, for example, words like: “chuzo”, “guaricha”, “guache”, “hueva” , function within the Spanish language, but have acquired new meanings over the years, drastically changing the original and ancestral meaning of the words within their colloquial use.
Some muiscisms in the Spanish spoken in Colombia:
«Chuzo»
Original meaning in Muisca: “weapon, knife”
Current meaning in Spanish: “current and popular store or commercial premises”
«Güeba»
Original meaning in Muisca: “foreigner” Current meaning in Spanish: “silly, idiotic person”
«Cucha»
Original meaning in Muisca: “woman more beautiful than the rainbow” Current meaning in Spanish: “old, aged woman”
"Guaricha"
Original meaning in Muisca: “princess” Current meaning in Spanish: “prostitute”
"Gouache"
Original meaning in Muisca: “brave man, warrior” Current meaning in Spanish: “rude, vulgar man”
In Spanish school Nueva LenguaIn addition to learning the language, you will have the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of Colombia from the inside. To learn more about the Muisca culture, one of the activities that the school has is a visit to the Guatavita lagoon, sacred territory of the ancient Muiscas and origin of the popular legend of El Dorado. This beautiful place, just an hour from Bogotá, offers the opportunity to practice Spanish while exploring nature and the indigenous culture of Colombia.
Would you like to learn Spanish abroad? At school Nueva Lengua We articulate your Spanish classes with daily tourist activities, so that you put the language into practice in real social contexts.
Check the tourist plans and activities what we have for you, or write to info@nuevalengua.com for more information about our Spanish courses and cultural immersion in Colombia.
We are looking forward to seeing you in this Special Mini-webinar!
All the articles in this blog have been written by the teachers of our school and by students from different countries who traveled to Colombia to learn Spanish.
“You travel too and study Spanish in NUEVA LENGUA"
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