Assigning "Value"
the verb 'valer'
Costa Ricans have their own ways of using words. Sometimes these ways are quite semantically
different than common usage in other countries. A word that I have heard used differently in
Costa Rica is the verb 'valer'. In Costa Rica 'valer' is often used in
place of 'costar' to say how much something costs, or say something's price.
Instead of the more common question, ¿"cuánto cuesta"? to say "how much does it cost"?,
Costa Ricans will almost always ask ¿"cuánto vale"?
Since the terms "price" and "value" are seemingly intertwined in this case, it begs the question:
does the seller dictate the value of products and services, or does the buyer have some
say in this as well? Someone who goes to a stand at a market and asks how much a garment costs,
will ask 'cuánto vale? Of course it's imortant what the seller values the item at, but
what the question implicitly leaves out is what the potential buyer values the item at. You
might say that I'm being nitpicky, but I really think that this language affects the way
Costa Ricans act in the economy. On countless occasions I have had arguments with people
about the appropriate price of something. Their best arguments is often 'pero eso es
lo que vale' (but that's what it's worth). The culture is not one that tolerates a lot
of bargaining, so the prices of things seem rigid, susceptible to the whims of the seller.
I also often encounter Costa Ricans who seem very proud of purchases they make, whether it be
from a store or a neighbor. They'll say, I bought it for 3.000 colones, pero vale 5.000
(but it's worth 5.000). They seem to think that everything has an inherent value that is
universally accepted and have a hard time imagining the possibility that the item they bought
is actually worth what they paid for it. They were, in theory, the person willing to pay
that "discounted" price, so that in fact is the value of the item.
Anyway, I find myself talking in circles. Feel free to share your thoughts if you've
experienced something similar with language either affecting economics (or being
shaped by local economic thinking). info@ruralcostarica.com
|
