Saturday, July 14, 2007

Tango Glossary: On the "Cabeceo"

Just a little clarification to a common mistake I've seen made over and over again (unintendedly) on the web by my fellow non-native spanish speaking Tangueros...

Dear all,

I've been coming across too many web posts, articles and comments (included in Tango-L) written by non-native spanish speakers referring, incorrectly, to the word Cabaceo.

As a native spanish speaker, I feel a bit saddened to see my own language distorted, and worried that this mistake is constantly being spread more and more widely, by electronic ways, across the globe... I also know that it is entirely unintended, made by people who actually love Tango, and make every effort to be familiar with the Spanish language that gives it its backing...

So, I just wanted to take the chance to do my little contribution to protect my Language and the original Tango terminology, and note that the right spelling for this word is

Cabeceo

It comes from the spanish "cabeza" (head), and it literally means "to shake the head". Please, help me preserve it! :)

Of course, I'm more than happy to be corrected on any mistakes I may be making when I write in English, which is only my second language... :)

2 comments:

caroline said...

I'm a stickler for proper spelling and grammar. Can't begin to tell you how many pet peeves I have with bad Englsh such as "who's" and "could of" etc etc etc. Now I know how to properly spell cabeceo. thanks!

Elizabeth said...

Thanks for the correction. Do Tangueras have high standards? Is this a characteristic of Tango women? I think so...