Diminutive Forms in Costa Rica
'-ito', '-illo', '-itico' etc.
In Costa Rica people use the diminutive forms of words. This is true of many Latin American
countries, but only in Costa Rica do they so commonly use a variety of different diminutive
suffixes.
In costa Rica they not only use the common standard '-ito(a)' ending, but also
the less common '-illo(a)' and '-tico' endings.
The '-illo(a)' ending is standard Spanish, but Costa Ricans use it under a greater
variety of circumstances than most Spansih speakers. In standard Spanish '-illo(a)'
can be a pejorative suffix, not simply a diminutive one. Although Costa Ricans understand the
potential negative connotation of the '-illo(a)' ending, it doesn't necessarily
take on that stigma. Many Costa Ricans commonly use '-illo(a)' ending for a noun
without connoting negativity or diminution.
Rural Costa Ricans use this '-illo(a)'
ending quite liberally and often don't imply anything by the addition of the suffix.
Sometimes the '-illo(a)' ending is used even when the result is a different word
than the root alone. For example, a man once said to me, "las mesas son pesadillas".
The '-illo(a)' ending in this sentence (in English "the tables are heavy") was
used to place emphasis on the heaviness of the tables, but the end result was the word
'pesadilla', which in Spanish means 'nightmare'.
In Spanish '-illo' is often avoided simply to avoid situations like this in which the
diminunitized word is actually another lexicalized term with a different meaning. In Costa Rica,
this less common diminutive suffix often crosses over to form different Spanish words, but I have
yet to see any case in which such usage causes confusion between Costa Ricans.
Another diminutive suffix that many Costa Ricans use, '-itico', forms an important part
of Costa Rica's cultural image. "Ticos", as Costa Ricans call themselves, often use the
'-itico' diminutive form, earning their "Tico" namesake. Costa Ricans use diminutive
form to emphasize diminution (whereas '-illo' endings are rarely used to emphasize
extreme diminutive cases). Although the '-itico' ending is informal Spanish, its use
can be a polite way to say you only want a little bit of something, "un poquitico", or
can be a way to show affection to someone or something that may or may not be ostensibly
diminutive. This ending can also be attached to the end of an adjective to express to place
emphasis on its severity. "El está borrachitico", would roughly translate
as "he is really drunk".
Examples of '-itico' suffix
-
Costa Rica es un país muy chiquitico = Costa Rica is a very small country
-
Sólo quiero un poquitico = I only want a tiny bit
-
Ella es loquitica = She's very crazy
With this last example, don't overestimate the severity of the '-itico' ending's severity.
In this particular case it may mean more like "She's pretty crazy". As a general rule, don't assume
that people are using the '-itico' or '-illo' suffixes in one way or another because
some people use these affixes in their own personal way. Since the use of these suffixes are so
widespread, they don't really need to mean anything other than just an extraneous addition to the
root word. Nonetheless, my I still stand behind my basic explanations of these suffixes as a rough
guide to their usage. Real understanding, however, involves experience in social contexts in Costa
Rica that only time and perception can afford. I encourage any mid/long-term visitors to pay
attention...
|
