In Ecuador you do not say “Adios”
“In every language, there seem to be certain ‘unmentionables’—words of such strong affective connotations that they cannot be used in polite discourse.” Language in Thought and Action, S.I Hayakawa and Alan R. Hayakawa What are these so-called unmentionables? Perhaps your mind goes first to bad words, like the f- word or racial slurs like the n-word, or other derogatory words like the r- word for people who are developmentally disabled. Or perhaps suppressed words, like those pertaining to menstruation or sex. Or perhaps you are thinking of words that are thought to wield magical powers like saying the word “quiet” on a labor and delivery floor when not much is happening (Don’t do it, the nurses will kill you). In all cultures there are simply words you do not say. One, surprisingly important unmentionable in Ecuador is the word Adios . Whereas Adios is commonly used to mean “goodbye” or “see you later” in Mexico, Spain, and much of the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, in Ecua
