Comments on: In Spanish, It's Not Your Fault

By: Nomad Spaniard

Nomad Spaniard — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:11:56 +0000

I think you are missing the point when talking about “responsibility”
Maybe when saying “He roto un plato” or “se me ha roto un plato” the difference come with the intention of doing something. In the first case it is clear you break a plate and that you had the intention of breaking it, in the second and more frequently used expression there is no such intention to break nothing…
…nothing to do with playing “the victim” role; remove’s ones responsibility for one’s actions, attitudes and so on…
So, when you all agree about the need to change the way to see the world as a key factor when learning a foreign language, it seems that at the end of the process we are unable to do it so as we keep trying to “MEASURE-UNDERSTAND” the new language from our own native language structure. Maybe is that why childhood is the best time to learn foreign languages, as children do not make the mistake of doing so deep and mistaken analysis…

By: erik

erik — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:40:44 +0000

Perhaps. That’s pretty speculative, but it sounds good enough for use in a novel.

Maria, you have the most interesting biography of any of my commenters. 70s fashion model, actress, tv producer, international legal translator and novelist? Wow!

By: Maria Gustafsson

Maria Gustafsson — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:29:37 +0000

Hej this is interesting!
Do you think this way of not being responsibe for things happening around you could have a bearing on corruption? In the Nordic countries objectively corruption in public affairs is a lot less frequent than in southern Europe. Maybe it has to do with knowing you in fact are responsible for breaking the plate or letting the plant die?

By: Demian

Demian — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:41:19 +0000

Maybe in Japan…

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 03:26:07 +0000

Well, i must beg to differ.

I have lived in Spain for almost 20 years and i must disagree about the assumption of spaniards don´t taking their blame in the same way that another europeans or even americans do, just because some semantic or gramatic divergence in their language with the “germanic” languages shape their minds in that way.

Just think about. With all respect, its ridiculous, and i found it even a bit offensive. Do you really think every common spaniard who breaks a dish by accident, just freeze for a while and thinks: “hey, i´m not a subject in this sentence, therefore that wouldnt be my blame at all”? They are not unconscious savages. Even in an unconscious mental process is highly unlikely to happen. Such a society would be unsustainable. They are, generally, perfectly conscious of which part they took in every mistake they commit, atleast in the same proportion every civilizated western country is.

What they “literally” say doesn´t determine the meaning they give to it. Which, in this particular case isn´t different that the meaning that any other european citizen could´ve bring. Theres no relation here between pure semantic and perception of reality.

Spain, like the rest of europe and western world has been irradiated by the american culture for atleast the last 5 decades , therefore theyre not so different to us “anglos” in most of their mannerisms and in the way they manage their everyday matters -just they are regarding their social life which is a world appart, but that´s beside the point.

If there´s a extended sense of self-gratification in spanish society i would more rather to blame their catholic background in opposition to our “protestant” culture which, tradititionally doesnt let us forgive our faults so easily. Though due to the cold and inexorable advance of globalization this seems to be changing gradually, for everyone.

By: Spaniard30

Spaniard30 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:52:52 +0000

Dear Inés,

I fully respect your point of view as a bask nationalist activist (really), but please do not take any chance you have to express your anger against most of the Spanish people.
Since I am so ignorant, could you please tell me when the bask country was a nation as such? However, I feel the most important question here to answer would be: Who is more ignorant the Spaniard that does not recognise the bask nationality or the basks that kill, blackmail and continuosly threat other basks just for an ideology? Having many bask friends and therefore knowing the situation quite well, I just find it funny that almost all nationalist basks feel very upset about the former, but totally indifferent (or much much less troubled) about the latter. What world are we in?

Yours sincerely,

By: Ines

Ines — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:42:21 +0000

wow, how did I miss this one? First of all, I’m half spanish (can’t stand the term ‘spaniard’ )even though could be classed as 100% spanish by the ignorant spanish who refuse to accept that basque is a nationality… but have live in London for the last 19 years.
I don’t agree with the view that you have to inmerse into the culture to learn a language. I’m not one bit english but I have not done too bad when it comes to acquiring the language. As much as I respect it, I have nothing in common with them apart from their language.
When I first came to this country at the age of 18 I knew that for me to succeed in learning the language the first thing I had to do was cut myself off from any other language speakers and listen to english 24/7. Also after doing some research I opted for the Callam method of learning english which in my experience translates into …don’t think just repeat after the teacher. repetition repetition repetition and whatever you do , do not translate anything into your language. Do not think, do not translate just say it like you’ve heard others say it. Only when you start thinking in your new language you have succeeded. A bit like when babies first learn a language…
Another example to illustrate my point, I spent a year in a North African country hoping to learn the Arabic language but the people around me were French speakers and you guessed right ,I ended up with very good french and very little arabic even though the arab culture was all around …
On the American v the Spanish front… I don’t like generalization so I better not go there
Euskalduna in London

By: Erik R.

Erik R. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:39:56 +0000

To be fair to the Spanish, though, there’s not a country on Earth where a civil servant is likely to do extra work to help a citizen.

By: Graham

Graham — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:20:25 +0000

Fascinating insight. I have always noticed it but the broad generalisation is roughly correct. It is very difficult to get Spanish people to take responsibility for their actions. Look at any civil servant or public servant. “Computer says no”. “I can’t do anything” “My hands are tied”

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:19:16 +0000

Does the individual being less important than the collective go on to affect other aspects of behavior? In America I see no real equivalent to the social clubs which are prevalent in Spain, although maybe the Moose or the Elks come close. In America I’ll make a martini at 5:00, and watch TV by myself. In Spain, except for wine with meals and an occasional beer on a hot afternoon, I only drink when partying with others. America’s so-called national pastime – despite being a “team” sport – revolves around an individual trying to throw a ball past another individual. Europe’s football instead seems to require much more teamwork, and most scores require the intricate placement and coordination of at least 3 or 4 teammates. In America, we have no equivalent to what happens in the streets at the Festival of San Fermin, where the mob resembles cells of a single organism.