Mande usted---Announce Digest, Vol 76, Issue 1

ANNOUNCE DIGEST
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I was raised to say Mande Usted whenever my parents or elders called me. It was a sign of respect, but also good breeding (bien criado) per my mother. She would get disgusted whenever she would hear my cousins (who were also raised in the US) say "Que?" To respond, "Que" was considered rude and low class unless you were speaking to another kid.
After taking countless Spanish classes in the US, I learned to say, "como?" but always reserved the Mande Usted for my elders. "Diga" somehow sounded a bit rude and condescending to me. It's almost like you're telling folks to spit it out and say what you want. My parents would never say this even to me as their child.
I guess it varies from culture to culture. My parents are/were from Los Altos de Jalisco. I find that we're a bit more stuffy than other folks from the rest of Mexico and Latin America. I learned of other examples as I began to learn Spanish as a second language.
In present day Mexico, I don't think it has anything to do with nobility or social status. I still hear my cousins in Mexico use this term even with me when we're the same age.

My cinco centavos.
Irma GomezGtz---- N. California

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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:39:45 -0700
From: Emilie Garcia
To:
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Roy Rodriguez, Jr.
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Roy,

You mentioned differences in usage of words in Spain vs Mexico in addressing people.

There is one other thing that I was aware of growing up with a Native American mother from New Mexico and a Basque-mestizo-mulato father from Zacatecas. He would scold us if we said, "Que?". He insisted we say "mande usted", but my mother refused to do that. She would say "nadie me manda". She would say "como?" or "que?". I noticed in Spain they don't use that term, "mande", and since the New Mexico "manitos" used an old Spanish dialect and were isolated for so long from the centers in Mexico, if that is the reason.

In our Spanish class in school, we learned to say "Como?" or "perdon?", not "Mande", and I noticed in Spain they used the term "Como?" or "diga?".

I also had a maid that insisted on calling me Dona Emilia when I told her to call me Emilia. She could have called me "senora". I felt uncomfortable with the "dona", but then I wondered if she was being sarcastic.

Emilie
Port Orchard, WA

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> Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 14:45:38 -0500
> From: fandemma@gmail.com
> To: announce@nuestrosranchos.com
> Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Roy Rodriguez, Jr.
>
> Hello Raquel,
>
> The use for older people regardless of economic or social status seems to
> have begun in the 20th century in Mexico. It is actually used sparingly in
> Spain, so yes in the 20th century it became more egalitarian in Mexico
> than in Spain. Prior to the 20th century it used more often but only for
> certain classes of people in Spain. The use for non-nobles is ambiguous in
> Mexico but it's use in Nueva Galicia was used mainly for people of high
> regard.
>
> Saludos,
> Armando
>
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2012 00:55:23 +0000
From: Lester Alvarado
To:
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] mande usted Vs como
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi Emile and Roy,

In my house growing up in East L. A. mom would always make us respond to her with ?Mande usted ?she would get furious with us if we didnt . She would say it was a form of respect . I have several good friends from Colombia and from other South American countries that tell me that they never use that phrase and the reason Mexicans use it, is because of the domination of the spanish people .
I dont know if thats true or not but thats what they tell me . Anyone else have any ideas ?

Welester G. Alvarado Carrillo

>
> Roy,
>
> You mentioned differences in usage of words in Spain vs Mexico in addressing people.
>
> There is one other thing that I was aware of growing up with a Native American mother from New Mexico and a Basque-mestizo-mulato father from Zacatecas. He would scold us if we said, "Que?". He insisted we say "mande usted", but my mother refused to do that. She would say "nadie me manda". She would say "como?" or "que?". I noticed in Spain they don't use that term, "mande", and since the New Mexico "manitos" used an old Spanish dialect and were isolated for so long from the centers in Mexico, if that is the reason.
>
> In our Spanish class in school, we learned to say "Como?" or "perdon?", not "Mande", and I noticed in Spain they used the term "Como?" or "diga?".
>
> I also had a maid that insisted on calling me Dona Emilia when I told her to call me Emilia. She could have called me "senora". I felt uncomfortable with the "dona", but then I wondered if she was being sarcastic.
>
> Emilie
> Port Orchard, WA
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> > Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 14:45:38 -0500
> > From: fandemma@gmail.com
> > To: announce@nuestrosranchos.com
> > Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Roy Rodriguez, Jr.
> >
> > Hello Raquel,
> >
> > The use for older people regardless of economic or social status seems to
> > have begun in the 20th century in Mexico. It is actually used sparingly in
> > Spain, so yes in the 20th century it became more egalitarian in Mexico
> > than in Spain. Prior to the 20th century it used more often but only for
> > certain classes of people in Spain. The use for non-nobles is ambiguous in
> > Mexico but it's use in Nueva Galicia was used mainly for people of high
> > regard.
> >
> > Saludos,
> > Armando
> >
> >