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husker

Jul 5, 2005, 9:45 AM

Post #1 of 9 (2737 views)

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Queso

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Resently I purchased some cheese NOB in a new Mercado that has just opened. The chesse I bought was Oaxaca, when I asked how to pronounce it I was told "WA -ca". I am wondering what the rule is for Oax sounding like a "w".
Learning some new things come with pain attached but in the long run they are well worth it.

Anisa

Jul 5, 2005, 12:31 PM

Post #2 of 9 (2724 views)

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Re: [husker] Queso

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Yummy....my fav cheese!
Oaxaca is actually pronounced Wa Ha Ka and it is therefore the Oa that produces the Wa sound which is usual in the Spanish lang.
Enjoy the quesillo

husker

Jul 5, 2005, 2:15 PM

Post #3 of 9 (2719 views)

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Re: [Anisa] Queso

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Thank you for the reply. I used the cheese to stuff halapeno peppers which I wraped in slab bacon the broiled.
Mmmmmmmmmmm

DoDi2

Jul 6, 2005, 2:57 PM

Post #4 of 9 (2688 views)

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Re: [husker] Queso

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Unlike most of the letters in spanish, the letter 'x' has many possible pronounciations. And in Latin American spanish you have the additional confusion of many possible indigenous pronunciations as well.

So, depending on the word, an 'x' might be pronounced as ks, gs, sh, s, h, etc. And then even that can change region to region.

I'm not sure if any overall rules apply.. but in the word 'Oaxaca' the 'x' has the h sound.

I think the name 'Oaxaca' comes from the guaje tree that is ubiquitous to the area. The tender young pods of the guaje tree are a favorite regional dish, and the older dried pods are used as a shaker instrument to make tradional music.

Saludos...

(This post was edited by DoDi2 on Jul 6, 2005, 2:58 PM)

quevedo

Jul 7, 2005, 11:30 AM

Post #5 of 9 (2663 views)

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Re: [DoDi2] Oaxaca

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Así es: Oaxaca viene de la voz náhuatl Huaxyacac, "lugar del huaje".

Saludos cordiales,

Quevedo

song_of_joy

Aug 4, 2005, 9:07 PM

Post #6 of 9 (2432 views)

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Re: [quevedo] Oaxaca

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What's "huaje" mean?

Mil gracias.

esperanza

Aug 5, 2005, 5:24 AM

Post #7 of 9 (2429 views)

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Re: [song_of_joy] Oaxaca

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guaje s m 1 (Leucaena suculenta) Árbol de la familia de las leguminosas, de 6 a 15 m de altura, de hojas lanceoladas pequeñas, que nacen en ramificaciones de un solo eje, flores blancas y fruto en forma de rama aplanada de 12 a 25 cm de largo, rojizo o morado. Sus semillas son comestibles cuando están tiernas y tienen valor medicinal 2 Árbol de la familia de las leguminosas cuyo fruto es una vaina aplanada y alargada, perteneciente a varias especies.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

song_of_joy

Aug 5, 2005, 8:25 AM

Post #8 of 9 (2423 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Oaxaca

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Thank you, Esperanza. I know the word "guaje" from Tony Burton's book, but I didn't recognize it with an "h."

manda405

Aug 9, 2005, 2:42 PM

Post #9 of 9 (2359 views)

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Re: [Anisa] Queso

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taken phonetically, Oaxaca is pronounced "oh-a-ha-ka". The "oh" and "a" sound usaually get smashed together and so they sound like "wa".

it's the same when pronouncing agua. it should be pronounced "ag-wa" but most people just say "awa."

What happens down in Mexico...Stays in Mexico.