Native speaker of Mexican Spanish needed!

Ardent Kat · Apr 30, 2010

My post-apocalyptic fantasy novel has an all-Hispanic cast and I need a little advice for naming and terminology. They are all Mexican descent, so I'm specifically looking for Mexican (as opposed to European or South American) Spanish terms.

What would be some possible words for a ghoul/zombie/undead? (In my fiction, the undead don't follow normal Hollywood zombie tropes. It's not a disease and it's not spread by bite, but as soon as a person dies for any reason--natural causes or murder--they immediately rise again as the mindless undead.)

What are some good words with meanings similar to puny/runt/feeble/weak? It would be used as a name for the protagonist's rat, who was the runt of his litter.

What about words that mean felicity/happiness? This would be used as a name for the protagonist's dumb-but-ever-optimistic dog. (Animals in this book are named for their traits)

What would be some good Mexican names for a man who is sweet-natured, but somewhat submissive, a pushover, and a people-pleaser? (Kind of an odd request, but I know certain names have certain emotional connotations and some names sound more "manly" than others.)

What would be a title that translates basically as "The Kid" or some other name-replacement for a young person? This ideally would be a term the kid would use for himself, so it wouldn't be insulting like "brat."

If you know someone familiar with Spanish, please point them towards this thread. Any help is greatly appreciated! =D (If you know Spanish, but it may be a different dialect from Mexican Spanish, I'd still love your input.)

Thanks!

Update: A few more questions!

What are some common synonyms (including slang) for dead [human] bodies? I'm especially looking for something with a derogatory rather than respectful connotation. Something along the lines of corpse/body/stiff/carcass/cadaver. Since the "zombies" in my book aren't traditional zombies, but they are animate dead bodies, a catchy word for "body" might be my best bet.

What are some terms for a Mexican "boogy-man"? This is a name for a figure who superstitious people believe is real, and more skeptical people might refer to jokingly. In the context of my book, there's rumor that an old man lives underground for centuries and sews evil across the island. Supposedly he's the source of the curse that makes the dead rise, he curses people with misfortune, his presence attracts the sea monsters that keep the island's inhabitants from being able to leave. Any good suggestions for a title for just such a rumored figure?

Muchísimas gracias!

Kaiser-Kun · Apr 30, 2010

Wow, super specific! Kudos to you for doing the research.

What would be some possible words for a ghoul/zombie/undead? (In my fiction, the undead don't follow normal Hollywood zombie tropes. It's not a disease and it's not spread by bite, but as soon as a person dies for any reason--natural causes or murder--they immediately rise again as the mindless undead.)

"Zombie" is pretty much widespread in middle- to upper-class families, but maybe you could use No-muerto (Non-dead, plural "No-muertos"), Cadáver (Corpse, plural "Cadáveres"). I could give some more ideas, but they aren't very specific to your creatures' nature.

What are some good words with meanings similar to puny/runt/feeble/weak? It would be used as a name for the protagonist's rat, who was the runt of his litter.

Débil (Weak), Debilucho (weakling), Inútil (Useless), maybe?

What about words that mean felicity/happiness? This would be used as a name for the protagonist's dumb-but-ever-optimistic dog. (Animals in this book are named for their traits)

Feliz / Contento (Happy), Gracioso / Chistoso (Funny).

What would be some good Mexican names for a man who is sweet-natured, but somewhat submissive, a pushover, and a people-pleaser? (Kind of an odd request, but I know certain names have certain emotional connotations and some names sound more "manly" than others.)

Hmm... any name in diminutive could do it (Martín, Cesarín, Oscarito, Pepito). It's normal that when a parent names his kid after himself, the kid'll be called by the diminutive version.

What would be a title that translates basically as "The Kid" or some other name-replacement for a young person? This ideally would be a term the kid would use for himself, so it wouldn't be insulting like "brat."

Niño means "Kid", but I don't think a children would use it as a title. Perhaps "Chico" (small). Slang for "children" include Mocoso (runny-nosed) and Enano (midget) mostly.

Come to me if you need more help.

OneWriter · Apr 30, 2010

I know a few from living in Spain two years, so here's my input.

Ardent Kat said:
What about words that mean felicity/happiness? This would be used as a name for the protagonist's dumb-but-ever-optimistic dog. (Animals in this book are named for their traits)

I would go for Felicidad (happiness), seems nice for a dog's name. It's feminine though, whereas Optimista would be either masculine or femine.

What would be some good Mexican names for a man who is sweet-natured, but somewhat submissive, a pushover, and a people-pleaser? (Kind of an odd request, but I know certain names have certain emotional connotations and some names sound more "manly" than others.)

Dulce? Azucar? It's used as we use "honey". Another option could be to use "tonto", which means silly or daft; you could change it in "tontolon" and it would get a more "affectionate" connotation. ETA: I guess I misunderstood, I thought you were looking for nicknames.

What would be a title that translates basically as "The Kid" or some other name-replacement for a young person?

IN SPAIN they would use slang words "nene" for boy and "nena" for girl. They also used "chulo" a lot, which means "cool", but I've only heard it used for kids as a compliment, as in "que chulo".

My dictionary gives me "cachorro" and "enano" for runt.

Canotila · Apr 30, 2010

Ardent Kat said:
My post-apocalyptic fantasy novel has an all-Hispanic cast and I need a little advice for naming and terminology. They are all Mexican descent, so I'm specifically looking for Mexican (as opposed to European or South American) Spanish terms.

What would be some possible words for a ghoul/zombie/undead? (In my fiction, the undead don't follow normal Hollywood zombie tropes. It's not a disease and it's not spread by bite, but as soon as a person dies for any reason--natural causes or murder--they immediately rise again as the mindless undead.)

My father in law traumatized his kids by telling them stories about the cucui, sort of a bogeyman, and then hiding outside their windows at night and making noises. Maybe that would work?

Ardent Kat said:
What would be some good Mexican names for a man who is sweet-natured, but somewhat submissive, a pushover, and a people-pleaser? (Kind of an odd request, but I know certain names have certain emotional connotations and some names sound more "manly" than others.)

My husband says Xavier, Ernesto, and Lorenzo come to mind. That might just be from personal associations though. Both uncle Ernies have that kind of personality.

Ardent Kat said:
What would be a title that translates basically as "The Kid" or some other name-replacement for a young person? This ideally would be a term the kid would use for himself, so it wouldn't be insulting like "brat."

Everybody in our family just calls children "miho" or "miha" depending on their gender, and the children refer to themselves by their own names. "El nino" literally means "the kid", but then you have that pesky weather system people will think of.

OneWriter · Apr 30, 2010

Canotila said:
Everybody in our family just calls children "miho" or "miha" depending on their gender, and the children refer to themselves by their own names. "El nino" literally means "the kid", but then you have that pesky weather system people will think of.

It's mijo, a contraction of mi+hijo = my son. It has a "paternal" connotation (just so you know), though it is used by most adults to address children. Not sure a kid would call himself mijo though.

Nah, Lorenzo is a cool name!!!!!

Canotila · Apr 30, 2010

OneWriter said:
It's mijo, a contraction of mi+hijo = my son. It has a "paternal" connotation (just so you know), though it is used by most adults to address children. Not sure a kid would call himself mijo though.

Nah, Lorenzo is a cool name!!!!!

Haha, I fail at Spanish spelling! Thank you for the correction.

Kaiser-Kun · Apr 30, 2010

Canotila said:
My father in law traumatized his kids by telling them stories about the cucui, sort of a bogeyman, and then hiding outside their windows at night and making noises. Maybe that would work?

Hmm... you're correct, altough I always imagined the Coco as a hidden, never-seen presence. There are some other night creatures in Mexican folklore, such as chaneques (goblin-like), but I don't think zombies'd be named after them..

Canotila · Apr 30, 2010

Kaiser-Kun said:
Hmm... you're correct, altough I always imagined the Coco as a hidden, never-seen presence. There are some other night creatures in Mexican folklore, such as chaneques (goblin-like), but I don't think zombies'd be named after them..

Yeah, he was trying to think of one. The only actual dead person one we know of is La Yarona, but she's pretty sentient.

OneWriter · Apr 30, 2010

Don't know if this applies to Spanish too, but zombie has become a regular word in Italian. We would also use "living dead" or "walking dead", and if it applies to Spanish as well, it would translate into "muertos vivientes" or "muertos que andan" -- it does sound awkward though. I'd just use zombie, like Kaiser-Kun suggested, but do check the spelling: in Italian we spell it zombi, without the final "e", it might be the same in Spanish.

Canotila said:
Thank you for the correction.

You're welcome -- I used to tutor in Spanish, it's become a professional deviation.

Canotila · Apr 30, 2010

OneWriter said:
Don't know if this applies to Spanish too, but zombie has become a regular word in Italian. We would also use "living dead" or "walking dead", and if it applies to Spanish as well, it would translate into "muertos vivientes" or "muertos que andan" -- it does sound awkward though. I'd just use zombie, like Kaiser-Kun suggested.

You're welcome -- I used to tutor in Spanish, it's become a professional deviation.

In my defense, any Spanish I know I learned from my native speaking husband who until six months ago thought pobrecito was two words and spelled por acito.

Kathie Freeman · May 1, 2010

What about "Chavo" for the kid?

Kaiser-Kun · May 1, 2010

Kathie Freeman said:
What about "Chavo" for the kid?

That'd work. How come I never thought of that one? =O

*twenty years since he left his childhood fall over his shoulders*

Oh.

Ardent Kat · May 1, 2010

Awesome! Thanks for the variety of suggestions! *reps all around*

All further input and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Ardent Kat · May 17, 2010

Kathie Freeman said:
What about "Chavo" for the kid?

Thanks!

A few more questions!

What are some common synonyms (including slang) for dead [human] bodies? I'm especially looking for something with a derogatory rather than respectful connotation. Something along the lines of corpse/body/stiff/carcass/cadaver. Since the "zombies" in my book aren't traditional zombies, but they are animate dead bodies, a catchy word for "body" might be my best bet.

What are some terms for a Mexican "boogy-man"? This is a name for a figure who superstitious people believe is real, and more skeptical people might refer to jokingly. In the context of my book, there's rumor that an old man lives underground for centuries and sews evil across the island. Supposedly he's the source of the curse that makes the dead rise, he curses people with misfortune, his presence attracts the sea monsters that keep the island's inhabitants from being able to leave. Any good suggestions for a title for just such a rumored figure?

Muchísimas gracias!

Kaiser-Kun · May 17, 2010

Ardent Kat said:
Thanks!

A few more questions!

What are some common synonyms (including slang) for dead [human] bodies? I'm especially looking for something with a derogatory rather than respectful connotation. Something along the lines of corpse/body/stiff/carcass/cadaver. Since the "zombies" in my book aren't traditional zombies, but they are animate dead bodies, a catchy word for "body" might be my best bet.

It could be "Cadáver" (corpse), "Tieso" (stiff)...

What are some terms for a Mexican "boogy-man"? This is a name for a figure who superstitious people believe is real, and more skeptical people might refer to jokingly. In the context of my book, there's rumor that an old man lives underground for centuries and sews evil across the island. Supposedly he's the source of the curse that makes the dead rise, he curses people with misfortune, his presence attracts the sea monsters that keep the island's inhabitants from being able to leave. Any good suggestions for a title for just such a rumored figure?

Muchísimas gracias!

That'd be "El Coco", altough the name isn't much fearsome. It's the most common legend for scaring kids and supposedly kidnaps and eats them. It could also be "Nahual" (a shapeshifter).

maxmordon · Jun 3, 2010

For an old man living underworld I would recommend El Hombre Del Saco (The Man With The Bag) rather than El Coco; who is represented as an old, usually homeless, man who kidnaps children with a big bag who carries around. Reportely, this figure is based on two different XIX Century Spanish serial killers, but I know is used in Mexico thanks to a memorable episode of Mexican sitcom El Chavo Del Ocho.

Fun fact; when Spanish conquistadors arrived and they saw the coconuts for the first time, they call it like that since it reminded them how the head of El Coco is at times said to be described, as a vegetable. Also, in Portugal a Jack O'Latern is said to be a Coco head.

Native speaker of Mexican Spanish needed!

Ardent Kat

Kill your television

Kaiser-Kun

!

OneWriter

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Canotila

Sever your leg please.

OneWriter

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Canotila

Sever your leg please.

Kaiser-Kun

!

Canotila

Sever your leg please.

OneWriter

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Canotila

Sever your leg please.

Kathie Freeman

That Crazy Cat Lady

Kaiser-Kun

!

Ardent Kat

Kill your television

Ardent Kat

Kill your television

Kaiser-Kun

!

maxmordon

Penúltimo