This week’s theme
Words about words

This week’s words
kenning
mot juste
holophrasm
pochismo
antonomasia

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(po-CHEEZ-mo)

MEANING:

noun
1. An English word borrowed into Spanish, often given a Spanish form or spelling, such as mopear (to mop) instead of trapear or limpiar.
2. American customs, attitudes, etc., adopted by a Hispanic in the US and perceived pejoratively by his compatriots.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Spanish pocho (discolored, faded). Earliest documented use: 1944.

NOTES:

Pocho is a derogatory term used by a Hispanic for a fellow countryman living in the US who is perceived to have lost his culture and adopted American attitudes, and speaks Spanglish (Spanish heavily influenced by English).

USAGE:

“It was not until I was an adult and studying Spanish literature formally at the University of Texas at Austin that I questioned the fine line which designated certain words as pochismos and others as acceptable Spanish.”
Aida Barrera; Looking for Carrascolendas; University of Texas Press; 2001.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: