Che (particle)
Che is a Spanish interjection used in Argentina , Uruguay and parts of Bolivia and Paraguay , in southern Brazil (there in the spelling: tchê ) and in Valencia in Spain . It is used to gain the listener's attention or occasionally to require the listener's (tacit) consent. In German it corresponds most closely to a 'He'.
The origin of this word is unclear. In Guaraní che means 'I' or 'mine', in Tehuelche and Puelche it means 'man', in Mapudungun it means ' people'. Others, on the other hand, cite a Spanish origin from the archaic ce , which some see as the origin of the Valencian salutation particle che , while still others see the origin of the Valencian che in a syneresis of xiquet , 'boy'. In Armenian che colloquially means 'no' and is also used as 'gell' (southern German, see above).
Che is a nickname often used in Central American countries for Argentinians, as they use this word particularly often. The most prominent example of this is the Argentine Marxist and revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara , who is called el Che by the Cubans to this day and, as a minister and national bank president, was known for signing official documents with "che". In addition, a main character in the musical Evita "Che" is named; the figure embodies a representative of the Argentine people.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ernesto "Che" Guevara in: Moneypedia , with a picture of a Cuban banknote from 1961 signed with "che", accessed on July 2, 2012