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Carron

Apr 26, 2005, 5:58 PM

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Chilli vs. Chile

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I have just started reading a thick new book of very poetic essays about Mexico called The Life and Times of Mexico, written by Earl Shorris, publlished in 2004.

While the prose is lovely, in his introduction he says "In spelling common words that are more correctly Mexican than English, I have used the Mexican spelling, (for example) chilli rather than chile.

In 30 years of visiting, living in, and reading about Mexico I have never seen chile spelled chilli. Have I missed something here?

esperanza

Apr 26, 2005, 6:59 PM

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Re: [Carron] Chilli vs. Chile

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If Mr. Shorris can be wrong about something this simple, I wonder if he's promulgating other misinformation.

Me hace chillar.

Note: I have been reminded that chilli is the Nahuatl word from which chile came into Spanish. There are some Nahuatl- speakers in Mexico, but common Spanish usage is chile.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

(This post was edited by esperanza on Apr 26, 2005, 9:25 PM)

juditha16

May 5, 2005, 7:54 PM

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Re: [Carron] Chilli vs. Chile

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This is what I learned today. Maybe Earl Shorris
(The Life and Times of Mexico) wasn't totally misinformed

Did you know? (from Miriam Webster Dictionary--on-line)
How many English food words can you name that derive from Nahuatl, a group of languages spoken by native peoples of Mexico and Central America? You've probably guessed that "tamale" gives you one; it came to us (by way of Mexican Spanish) from the Nahuatl "tamalli," a word for steamed cornmeal dough. Add to the menu "chili" (from "chîlli," identifying all those fiery peppers); "chocolate" (from "chocolâtl," first used for a beverage made from chocolate and water); "guacamole" (from "âhuacatl," meaning "avocado," plus "môlli," meaning "sauce"); and "tomato" (from "tomatl"). Top it all off with a word that's new to our dictionary: "chipotle" (a smoked and dried pepper), from "chîlli" and "pôctli" (meaning "something smoked").

Judith

(This post was edited by juditha16 on May 5, 2005, 8:00 PM)