Grammarama Articles on Spanish

Introduction
Argentine Spanish includes some words and expressions that differentiate it from the Spanish spoken in other countries. In this article, we will discuss a particularly noteworthy feature:  the use of “vos”. “Vos” is now heard throughout the country in place of “tú” for “you” (singular) in informal social contexts (the so-called “informal treatment”).   This phenomenon represents social and cultural as well as linguistic features. Its widespread use, its function in society, and its  associated verb forms constitute the difference between the Argentine “voseo” (the practice of using “vos”) and the “voseo” as heard in some regions of Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Central America.


Brief history of the “voseo”, this beautiful rarity

The majority of the current Latin American countries were Spanish colonies from the end of the 15th century until the first decades of the 19th century. The Royal Court from Madrid disseminated throughout the region not only the organization of civil-government, but also the features and attitudes of Spanish culture. In this way Argentina and many of the other Latin American nations inherited and appropriated the Spanish language. Some terms nowadays in disuse in Spain, such as the pronoun “vos” and its accompanying verb forms, have survived from that colonial era. The great distance of Spain and the lack of communication with the Royal Court after the independence wars (and the subsequent declarations of the independence around 1820) surely explain the survival of these archaic words in our region.


Spread of the “voseo” throughout Argentina

As a phenomenon of language, collective and anonymous, the spread of “vos” followed its own course, and it is difficult to determine the exact timeline. We can definitely say that its spread was complete by the 1900´s.

Abandoning the use of “tú” was welcomed by ordinary people and gradually gained the most diverse followers, although many intellectuals and cultural institutions watched this phenomenon with a reticence that continued into the 1940’s. In fact, nowadays  in primary and secondary schools the ''voseo'' is completely acceptable, and "'tú'' is taught in order to preserve the knowledge of the original Spanish language.

As shown in the above sentences, the use of “vos” became socially accepted a long time ago as part of standard, cultivated Spanish language in Argentina, in written expression as much as in oral communication.

The cover of "Vos sabés" is a clear example of how both public and private institutions use the voseo. Class material for Spanish classes.

“Vos” instead of “usted”, an expressive familiarity

In the Interior of Argentina, in smaller cities and towns, the use of “vos” has not yet won the streets.  When someone talks to strangers and people over age 25, the pronoun “usted” is still utilized.

By contrast, in the big cities of Argentina, the “voseo” is widely used. The formal treatment represented by the use of “usted” and its associated verb forms is not very usual.  Sometimes “usted” is utilized when we talk to unknown people, such us an employee of a supermarket.  Also, “usted” is used in some circles of professionals, like doctors and lawyers, whether they talk to each other or chat with their patients or clients. By the same token, clients and patients address the professional with ''usted''. Finally, “usted” is utilized by some immigrants from other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Bolivians and Peruvians, who live in Argentina.

[Note:  speakers from the majority of these countries use the formal treatment (“usted”)  when they speak to strangers or adult people. Although in some areas of these countries the “voseo” is utilized, its linguistic features are different from those used in Argentina; also, its use is not widespread. For these reasons we can say that immigrant groups in our country typically come from areas where two main treatment formulas coexist (formal, the use of “usted”, and informal, the use of “tú”).  Here in Argentina, the immigrants continue to use the “tú/usted” pattern of speech.   The coexistence of “vos” (which is ours) and “tú” (that is the immigrants´) in everyday Argentine Spanish is somewhat beyond the scope of the current work and could be discussed in a future article.]

“¿Cómo estás?  (How are you?)” may be the typical informal greeting used with friends as well as with the slightest  of acquaintances: people such as a college professor, a teacher, a policeman, a bank clerk, a taxi driver, a doctor or a nurse.

“Me pueden tutear  (You can use the “tú” form with me)”, the graying college professor usually says to his students. In his private circle, he admits, “It bothers me that young people use the “usted” form when talking to me. I feel like an old man.” As shown in the first sentence, the professor really means “vosear” but he says “tutear” for some unknown reason even by himself. Does it happen, perhaps, that language escapes precise definitions and that therefore ambiguous and clear meanings coexist?

    In “The “voseo” in Argentina (Part II)”, readers are invited to share some thoughts about the verb forms that accompany the personal pronoun “vos”.