Alberca or Piscina

[RGVgal]

Is Alberca used in the D.R. at all? I ask because I always called a swimming pool a "Piscina", but all my Mexican friends call it an Alberca. At first, I didn't know what they were talking about and they didn't know what I was talking about when I said Piscina.

[M.A.R.]

Originally Posted by RGVgal

Is Alberca used in the D.R. at all? I ask because I always called a swimming pool a "Piscina", but all my Mexican friends call it an Alberca. At first, I didn't know what they were talking about and they didn't know what I was talking about when I said Piscina.

I think most Dominicans say "piscina".

[montreal]

I've only ever heard mexicans use the term alberca. Piscina is the actual translation and most mexicans probably know the word.

[angie12]

Funny your friends didn't know that word. I am Mexican and I often hear us using either one of the words (piscina or alberca)....

[RGVgal]

I should have said Mexican-American friends. They don't speak Spanish in their everyday life maybe that's why they are not familiar with piscina.

[Chirimoya]

I've only heard it in Mexico to mean swimming pool. It's also used in Spain, but it means a type of open cistern.

Alberca comes from Arabic, like most words that begin with 'al' in Spanish..

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

I've only heard it in Mexico to mean swimming pool. It's also used in Spain, but it means a type of open cistern.

Alberca comes from Arabic, like most words that begin with 'al' in Spanish..

alberca.
(Del ár. hisp. albírka, y este del ár. clás. birkah).
1. f. Depósito artificial de agua, con muros de fábrica, para el riego.
2. f. poza (? balsa para empozar el cáñamo).
3. f. Méx. Piscina deportiva.
en ~.
1. loc. adj. Dicho de un edificio: Que, por no estar terminado o por haberse caído, solo tiene las paredes y carece de techo. (RAE)

Another word used mostly by Mexicans (and some places in Central America) is zacate (lawn) when most other countries, including the DR, use cesped or hierba.

[Dragonfly32837]

I use Piscina... I have only heard alberca used in Mexican soap operas.

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by Dragonfly32837

I use Piscina... I have only heard alberca used in Mexican soap operas.

You have not been around Mexicans, then.

[Lesley D]

IMO, this is a classic example of the diversity that exists in Spanish vocabulary and the usage as mentioned in my commentary in this post (http://www.dr1.com/forums/642298-post2.html). Since words in Spanish have such a diverse origin and usage can be very regional, it lends itself to the variety that one experiences in the language and fully exemplifies my theory of the more exposure the better. Although the dictionary provides a specific usage for alberca, Mexicans use alberca and piscina interchangeably to mean pool. In the dictionary it is defined as a Mexican regionalism, however, I think anyone with a broad vocabulary in Spanish will be familiar with the word.

Once again word origin is the key to the selected usage of one word over another. Alberca derived from Arabic. Piscina comes from Latin. Logically piscina is the generic word, alberca, the foreign and borrowed word will be a synonym or have a specific meaning. The question is why alberca, with the meaning of pool and defined as an americanismo remained in the Mexican vernacular specifically. Also proof positive of my point in my post linked above is when you look for a synonym of a word not all in the list can be used. It depends on the meaning that you want to convey. There are many word pairs like this in Spanish, the foreign word vs. the Latin based word.

Dictionary synonyms:

piscina-

depósito, alberca, estanque, pileta

alberca-

acequia, balsa, charca, pozo, cisterna, aljibe, depósito, estanque, alberque

source: elmundo.es


To add to Norma’s options for lawn, how about la grama which, I think is very regional and may not be familiar to all Spanish-speakers but is used.


-LDG.