The origins of terms and their development through history.
27
votes
3answers
524 views
Origin and usage of “¿” and “¡”
English
I was wondering what the reason is that the inverted exclamation mark ¡ and the inverted question mark ¿ were introduced into the Spanish language and not into most other languages.
Any ...
6
votes
1answer
169 views
Etymology of “usted”
What is the etymology of the pronoun "usted"? What formal pronouns existed before, and when did the current "usted" come into existence?
11
votes
2answers
1k views
Why isn't “good morning” “buenas mañanas”?
"Good afternoon" is "buenas tardes", and "Good night/evening" is "buenas noches".
Then why isn't "good morning" "buenas mañanas" instead of "buenos días"?
9
votes
2answers
190 views
What is the history of the “personal a”?
What is the historical origin of the "personal a" in Spanish?
Examples of the personal a:
George sees Mary. -> Jorge ve a María.
I see the waitress. -> Veo a la mesera.
But with the exact ...
15
votes
1answer
474 views
¿Por qué es la palabra «mano» femenina?
En español, tenemos una regla en la cual, generalmente, se puede tener fé. Si una palabra termina con -o, es masculina. Sin embargo, palabras que terminan en -e o -a también pueden ser palabras ...
6
votes
1answer
146 views
How are words with “ps” or “pt” pronounced?
Here are a few examples:
psicología
ptosis
Ptolomeo
Interestingly is that "sicología" is also found in the RAE but most of the time I've seen it written as "psicología".
How are they ...
