# A Spanish language question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spanish-language-question/962067>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 31, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spanish-language-question/962067 "2022-03-31T22:48:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spanish-language-question/962067/21 "2022-04-04T08:26:21Z")

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I guess it’s like “cock”? Polla is derived from pollo (as a feminine form), so, a young hen. It is not “intrinsically” sexual; neither is “penis” in Latin, for that matter.

ETA slang can get firmly established, too.

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**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spanish-language-question/962067/22 "2022-04-05T18:50:58Z")

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> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#):
>
> And is anyone who accidentally misassigns a gender looked at askance or ridiculed?

Many years ago, I accidentally referred to a young (~20 yo) French man as being française rather than français. He was very offended, even angry.

So no, I wasn’t ridiculed, but my obvious (and obviously innocent) error was taken at face value.

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**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spanish-language-question/962067/23 "2022-04-06T05:56:38Z")

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> [@Cayuga](#):
>
> Many years ago, I accidentally referred to a young (~20 yo) French man as being française rather than français. He was very offended, even angry.
> 
> So no, I wasn’t ridiculed, but my obvious (and obviously innocent) error was taken at face value.

I assume for those attuned to the language, it would be like calling a man a waitress or actress instead of waiter or actor. Myself, I would probably miss the nuance in pronunciation between _française_ and _français_ but I imagine a native speaker would really notice since that sort of thing is more important.

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**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spanish-language-question/962067/24 "2022-04-06T09:58:45Z")

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Yes, you’re absolutely right. I should have made that clear.

And you could probably hear the difference easily, French speaker or no. One is pronounced frahn-say and the other frahn-sez. (It makes sense in French, honest.)

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