Old Spanish words and expressions, and a peninsular belief, preserved in the rural culture of Paraguay

Abstract

This article analyzes some expressions and one belief from the old Spanish or Galician culture, recorded in the novel La madre Naturaleza (Mother Nature) (1887), by the writer Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851-1921), which are preserved in the Guaraní language and the rural culture of Paraguay. Expressions such as ¡hasta verte, Jesús mío! (until I see you, my Jesus!)  which  used  to  be  said  when  having a  drink; mi ama  (my mistress) as  an  ancient  noble  way of addressing someone; Dios se lo pague (May God reward you), as an expression of gratitude, among others, and the belief of not wetting one's feet immediately after taking off one's shoes because it can cause “un mal”“ (a bad thing) are part of this inherited folkloric repertoire. The verification of the validity of these pieces was made through the written corpora of the Guarani language, and those that do not appear in them, through a consultation with informants in the capital and some departments of the Eastern region of the country. The areas where these consultations were carried out are Asunción, the departments of Caazapá, Central, Concepción, Ñeembucú and Paraguarí. A list of old Spanish borrowings is also studied, some of which are no longer used in the current Spanish language, but which are still present in the oral repertoire of Guaraní.