Be careful when using certain Spanish slang words they may offend others and even get you in trouble.
For many Latinos the word, pronounced COHN-yoh, has many slang meanings in various Spanish speaking cultures, in where it can also be offensive if not carefully used.
For some it translates to to the female sexual organs, the word also can express a large number of different emotional states, depending on the culture of the speaker and the situation. Some can be offended and others are not.
According to sources:
fear: low tone, short vowels, high-pitched: ¡Coño, coño! ¡Esta abeja va a picarme! (This bee will sting me!)
anger: high tone, short vowels: ¡Coño, ya te dije que no lo hicieras! (Hey, I already told you not to do that!)
surprise: low tone, dragging out the "o": Coooño... ¿Están saliendo juntos? (Oh, really? Are they going out?)
joy: dragging out the vowels, low-pitched: ¡Cooñoo! ¡Nuestro equipo ganó! (Thank goodness! Our team won!)
What does it mean to you? Have you ever used it?
Public high school teacher, Carlos Garcia, is suing the city after he was suspended and fined $15,000 for what school officials say was misconduct for using it in his classroom.
Carlos Garcia is also Dominican, in where it is a common word used all the time, but for other people it is offensive and unprofessional.
Garcia's attorney, Sergio Villaverde, said his client didn't use the word. He also claims the court interpreter mistranslated the term during Garcia's disciplinary hearings.
"Coño" is not the first word to cause confusion or consternation in the U.S. Many need to keep in mind that there are a few Spanish words that are offensive in certain Latin countries but mean something totally harmless in another.
Would you be offended if your teacher/boss were to use it?
Terra /F. Chajin
