xente - people - gente

[is]

xente: pronounced SHEN-tay. People, persons, any group of human beings, indefinitely or collectively. Persons, whether men, women or children considered as numerable individuals. The entire body of persons who constitute a community, tribe or nation by virtue of common culture, history or religion. A body of persons living in the same country, a nationality.

Latin: gens, Italian: gente, French: gens, Galician: xente, Castilian Spanish: gente.

Usage examples:

La xente de mio guela ye del conceyu Carreno. [My grandmother’s people are originally from the county of Carreno]
Somos xente a esgaya pa faelo. [We’re certainly enough people to do the job]
Entos, que diz la xente? [So what are people saying?]
A la xente d’esti pueblu gusta-y andechar. [People in this village like to work as a team]
La xente asturiano ye fanfarron. [The Asturian people are known for conviviliaty, as well as for bragging]
Ye que la xente ye fato. [People, in general, tend to be dumb; literally, ‘It’s because people are dumb’]

Folk wisdom:

Augua corriente nun mata la xente. [Running water won’t kill anybody]
Quien nun miente nun vien de bona xente. [Those who don’t lie are not of good stock]

Listen to this YouTube clip as of 0:23. It’s a recent (July 2008) recording with Jose la Condesa, from Baselgas (county Grau/Grado).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vezXB9Pqt0

Xose Anton Ambas, the ethnomusicologist, speaks with Jose in this West Asturian hamlet. Everyone is gone except for two neighbors. Listen to Jose sing an asturianada with his grandson Xuacu on the bagpipes.

Here is a brief transcription showing the use of the word xente or people, referring to the fact that they have all left Baselgas.

“Pero au tamos?”
“En Baselgas.”
“Baselgas de Grau, el pueblu mas guapu Grau, aunque nun tien xente.”
“Si.”
“Hai xente?”
“Non”
“Pouca.”
“Pouca, hai....”
“Cuantos vecinos quedan en Baselgas?”
“Hai un representante...”
“Cuantos quedan?”
“Quedan dos”