Albur
Encyclopedia
In Mexico
, an albur is a pun
or a double entendre
in which one of the possible meanings usually carries sexual undertones. It is very common among groups of predominately male friends; however, its use is considered rude or distasteful when not amongst friends, especially when in the presence of women. Albur is also a form of comedy
and many artists and comedians, including Alberto Rojas "El Caballo", Polo Polo
, and others are renowned for their skills at performing albures (alburear). Brozo has been known for having albureado several prominent political figures in Mexican television such as Mexico's current president, Felipe Calderon (2006–2012).
Usually, the game of albures is a subtle, verbal competition in which the players try to show superiority by using albures attempting to leave the opponent without a comeback. There are two general purposes in an albur, sexual and generally degrading:
Sexual
Degrading
, which is a way of saying you are an urban poor soul who comes from the rural area.
Though at first sight outsiders may see albures as a very rude, distasteful, blunt and aggressive activity, it is usually nothing more than a pastime which promotes laughter and is an excuse to joke around with friends. An important aspect of the refinement of an albur exchange is the level at which it can be seen as a double entendre
. The most refined albureros can maintain a double entendre conversation in such a way that an unprepared listener would not even realize there was an underlying sexual connotation. In such a case that person would find the giggling, blushing and pausing awkward.
It sometimes happens that a newcomer is "welcomed" into a group or conversation with a quick and unexpected albur (we're telling you). This behaviour would tend to immediately set who is the (sexual) aggressor, thus being a form to establish a male hierarchy. A quick comeback would definitely gain him the recognition of the group, though this is seldom expected, due to shyness, surprise, lack of ability to recognize the albur, or lack of ability to produce an answer.
But women have another possible relationship to albures. What if they actually were the alburera? The situation becomes quite complicated, as the general counterattack strategy, of exhibiting her as a passive sexual partner, makes no harm. In this case, the albureado suffers a double humiliation since he would not be able to fend off the albur, and he would have been albureado by a woman.
("Give me the time -- what time is it?")
sounds like:
("Give it to me now")
The last phrase can be understood as "it" being either the vagina
or the anus
and therefore, constitutes an albur. It is as sophisticated as it could possibly be.
A smart (in the style of Sade) reply to this albur would be something along the lines of:
This phrase makes reference not to the vagina
or tail ("cola", anus
) anymore, but to his penis
, thus making the albur backfire while making the opponent appear as a female.
An example would include Mexican
bus drivers, for whom it is common to ask riders about la parada, which
may mean both "the stop" and "the erected one". Therefore, in order not to become a victim, the rider should be careful not to reply "al tope", which may mean "at the speedbump" but also a more dangerous "the whole thing" or "until it stops".
Using the same example as above,
("Give it to me now")
several examples can be easily constructed where the previous conversation would include antecedents for the clitic pronoun "-la" [fem, sing], and the albur comeback would re-reference it to mean the penis (among the several synonyms for penis, there are some with the correct gender and number agreement).
In this exchange the interesting aspect is that b's response mechanism is simply to substitute the out-of-context "sad" with a's accusation. Explicitly, b's response would effectively be interpreted as "I see that you are dumb".
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, an albur is a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
or a double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
in which one of the possible meanings usually carries sexual undertones. It is very common among groups of predominately male friends; however, its use is considered rude or distasteful when not amongst friends, especially when in the presence of women. Albur is also a form of comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and many artists and comedians, including Alberto Rojas "El Caballo", Polo Polo
Polo Polo
Polo Polo is a mexican comedian. His real name is Leopoldo García Benítez Peláez, known internationally for his practical jokes for adults, and its use as part of the gamble of his jokes, adorned with a light humorous misogyny in his repertoire...
, and others are renowned for their skills at performing albures (alburear). Brozo has been known for having albureado several prominent political figures in Mexican television such as Mexico's current president, Felipe Calderon (2006–2012).
Usually, the game of albures is a subtle, verbal competition in which the players try to show superiority by using albures attempting to leave the opponent without a comeback. There are two general purposes in an albur, sexual and generally degrading:
Sexual
- To show off the alburero's masculinityMasculinityMasculinity is possessing qualities or characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man. The term can be used to describe any human, animal or object that has the quality of being masculine...
by making a remark of him being the "aggressor" (or maleMaleMale refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
party) in a sexual intercourseSexual intercourseSexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
- To imply (subtly or bluntly) the opponent's (albureado) lack of virilityVirilityVirility refers to any of a wide range of masculine characteristics viewed positively. It is not applicable to women or to negative characteristics. The Oxford English Dictionary says virile is "marked by strength or force." Virility is commonly associated with vigour, health, sturdiness, and...
by stating him to be the "victim" (femaleFemaleFemale is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
or passive receiver) in a sexual encounter. In the context of an albur, the receptive side of the sexual intercourse is considered to be the "losing" side while the male, giving, active side is the "winner". This applies regardless of whether it is male to male or male to female intercourse.
Degrading
- Exhibiting the opponent as dumb or stupid, many times with references to animals (typically donkey, mule, ox, and ram).
Classes
Albures are commonplace in many sectors of Mexican society and are usually regarded as a sign of an agile (though somewhat dirty and more often than not superb minuteman) mind. In fact, it is possible to find people who brag about their skills (at albures) and claim to be "good at it", this phrase being itself an albur (also a self reference to their virily and sexual "power"). The albures are commonly found in almost every Mexican social sector (cométela entera, eat it all, being an agile mind's piece of work) being more common in low class sectors, but totally present in higher ones also. However, in a hypocritical act, people may sometimes categorize those who use albures as nacosNaco (slang)
Naco is a pejorative word often used in Mexican Spanish to describe the bad-mannered and poorly educated people of lower social classes. It is equivalent to 'white trash' in American English and culture...
, which is a way of saying you are an urban poor soul who comes from the rural area.
Though at first sight outsiders may see albures as a very rude, distasteful, blunt and aggressive activity, it is usually nothing more than a pastime which promotes laughter and is an excuse to joke around with friends. An important aspect of the refinement of an albur exchange is the level at which it can be seen as a double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
. The most refined albureros can maintain a double entendre conversation in such a way that an unprepared listener would not even realize there was an underlying sexual connotation. In such a case that person would find the giggling, blushing and pausing awkward.
It sometimes happens that a newcomer is "welcomed" into a group or conversation with a quick and unexpected albur (we're telling you). This behaviour would tend to immediately set who is the (sexual) aggressor, thus being a form to establish a male hierarchy. A quick comeback would definitely gain him the recognition of the group, though this is seldom expected, due to shyness, surprise, lack of ability to recognize the albur, or lack of ability to produce an answer.
Women
Women play a crucial role in the language and focus of albures. While the alburero would attempt to show the albureado as the passive sexual partner, he could as well target the female relatives of the albureado, namely mother and sisters. In fact, many people are over-reactive to this type of references and might be more easily moved to a violent response than by any other type of albur, or even overt insults.But women have another possible relationship to albures. What if they actually were the alburera? The situation becomes quite complicated, as the general counterattack strategy, of exhibiting her as a passive sexual partner, makes no harm. In this case, the albureado suffers a double humiliation since he would not be able to fend off the albur, and he would have been albureado by a woman.
Language and structure
Albures make use of several aspects of (empirical, innate) linguistic knowledge.Phonetic
Many albures originate from similarities in the pronunciation of different words:- "Dame la hora"
("Give me the time -- what time is it?")
sounds like:
- "Dámela ahora"
("Give it to me now")
The last phrase can be understood as "it" being either the vagina
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
or the anus
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
and therefore, constitutes an albur. It is as sophisticated as it could possibly be.
A smart (in the style of Sade) reply to this albur would be something along the lines of:
- "Sure, today and tomorrow too"
This phrase makes reference not to the vagina
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
or tail ("cola", anus
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
) anymore, but to his penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
, thus making the albur backfire while making the opponent appear as a female.
Polysemy
Other make use of the fact that a same word (phonetic sign) has several meanings, one of which will be exploited.An example would include Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
bus drivers, for whom it is common to ask riders about la parada, which
may mean both "the stop" and "the erected one". Therefore, in order not to become a victim, the rider should be careful not to reply "al tope", which may mean "at the speedbump" but also a more dangerous "the whole thing" or "until it stops".
Pronominal references
When the antecedent for a pronoun is substituted for a sexual reference the simplest (cheapest) form of albures can be achieved.Using the same example as above,
- "Dámela ahora"
("Give it to me now")
several examples can be easily constructed where the previous conversation would include antecedents for the clitic pronoun "-la" [fem, sing], and the albur comeback would re-reference it to mean the penis (among the several synonyms for penis, there are some with the correct gender and number agreement).
Generalization of meaning/context
- a) Eres un tonto.
- b) Te veo triste.
- a) You are dumb.
- b) I see that you are sad.
In this exchange the interesting aspect is that b's response mechanism is simply to substitute the out-of-context "sad" with a's accusation. Explicitly, b's response would effectively be interpreted as "I see that you are dumb".
See also
- AmbiguityAmbiguityAmbiguity of words or phrases is the ability to express more than one interpretation. It is distinct from vagueness, which is a statement about the lack of precision contained or available in the information.Context may play a role in resolving ambiguity...
- Double entendreDouble entendreA double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
- Mexican culture
- PunPunThe pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
- Spanish profanitySpanish profanityThis article is a summary of Spanish profanity, referred to in the Spanish language as lenguaje soez , maldiciones , malas palabras , insultos , vulgaridades , juramentos , palabrotas , tacos , palabras sucias ,...