Asturian-American Migration Forum

My dad was amused as I grabbed a handful of my teen son's ample hair and threatened him (all in jest of course.) I often grab his thick hair and hold on, it's the only way to control him! Dad said this reminded him of his tia grabbing his own substantial head of hair as a teen and doing the same thing. She called him a name that sounded like "refeenyo" phonetically. He thought it meant something like sloppy looking or shabby looking as she often did this when he was in need of a haircut. Does anyone know what this word could have been. He had the thought it was Asturian in origin, not Castilian.

There's one Asturianu word that strikes me as possible:

ripiu:
1. n. nada. (noun, nothing)
Ex: Esti llibru nun val un ripiu. (This book isn't worth a thing. or This book is worth nothing.)

2. n. Poca cosa de daqué (noun, of a very small amount of something [??])
Ex. Nun comió más qu'un ripiu. (S/he didn't eat anything. or S/he ate nothing.)

I hope someone who really knows Asturianu will translate this better!


I also looked in the Real Academia Española's on-line dictionary: http://www.rae.es/

There is one Castilian word:

rifeño, rifeña:
1. adj. Natural del Rif. U. t. c. s. (native of Rif)
2. adj. Perteneciente o relativo a esta comarca de Marruecos. (related to this region of Morocco)

I don't know if that could be it, but there may have been expressions about Moroccans at least after the Civil War when Moroccan troops served in Asturias. But I doubt that that's it.

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Hay una palabra asturianu que me parece posible:
ripiu:
1. n. nada.
Ex: Esti llibru nun val un ripiu.

2. n. Poca cosa de daqué
Ex. Nun comió más qu'un ripiu.

¡Espero que alquien que sabe Asturianu traducirálo mejor que yo!


También busqué en el diccionario Web de la Real Academia Española's: http://www.rae.es/

Hay una palabra castellano:
rifeño, rifeña:
1. adj. Natural del Rif. U. t. c. s.
2. adj. Perteneciente o relativo a esta comarca de Marruecos.

No sé se puede ser tu palabra, pero es posible que habia modismos prerteneciente a los Marruecos, al menos depues de la guerra civil cuando habia soldados marruecos en Asturias. Pero no creo que esta palabra es la que buscas.

Another slight possibiliites is:

refeño, which appears to be a kind of pigeon: http://www.palomasbuchonasladronas.com/ ... ame=Forums

This was the first of pigeon raised in Spain, introduced by the Arabs in about the 8th century. http://www.labuenavista.org/Enciclopedia1.htm

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Otra posibilidad remota es:

refeño, cual es un clase de paloma:
http://www.palomasbuchonasladronas.com/ ... ame=Forums

Esta reza es la más antigua de las que se cultivan en España.
Los árabes, en el siglo VIII aproximadamente. http://www.labuenavista.org/Enciclopedia1.htm

Hi, Marleen & Art.

If I understand right, the word seems sound more or less refiño, rifeño, refeño

A word with -IÑO suffix (a diminutive) belongs to the Galician language, but I don't know any word REFIÑO. This is pertinent because there is a little region in the extreme West of Asturias, near to Galicia, Galician-speaking, between Eo and Navia rivers (more exactly a transition language mixed of Asturian and Galician).

The second possibility is the one that Art said, RIFEÑO (someone that belongs to the Bereber nomad tribes from the Rif mountains, in Morocco, speakers of a pre-Arab language, the Bereber or Tamazigh). These tribes opposed a strong resistence against the Spanish troops in a colonial war, 1900-1920. In this war, Riffean tribes cause a lot of Spanish soldier deaths. Perhaps RIFEÑO is something as "savage" (not civilised).

The third possibility is the Galician word REFILLO (outbreak of a plant, REFILLAR means "to produce new branches"). This could be a synonymous of the Spanish words RETOÑO or VÁSTAGO (shoot, scion), not only employed for plants, but also metaphorically for "children".

And another possibility is the Galician word REFEÑO, "small animal of bad caste, which neither grows does not even put on weight".

Galician and Asturian languages had a lot of similar words. I think there isn't any Asturian word similar to REFILLO (I only know the equivalent GUAÑU). Perhaps there is an Asturian variant of REFEÑO, something like REFEÑU, but I'm not sure.

Translation:

Si lo entiendo bien, la palabra suena algo parecido a refiño, rifeño, refeño

Una palabra con el sufijo -IÑO (un diminutivo) en principio pertenece a la lengua gallega, pero no conozco ninguna palabra REFIÑO. Esto viene a cuento porque hay una comarca en el extremo occidental asturiano, entre los ríos Eo y Navia, fronteriza con Galicia, donde se habla gallego (para ser más exactos, una lengua de transición donde se mezclan rasgos gallegos y asturianos).

La segunda posibilidad es la que menciona Art, RIFEÑO, alguien de las montañas del Rif, en Marruecos, una etnia nómada que habla una lengua pre-árabe, el bereber o tamazigh. Las tribus rifeñas causaron muchas bajas a las tropas españolas durante la llamada "Guerra de Marruecos", a comienzos del siglo XX. Puede que RIFEÑO fuera empleado con un sentido de "salvaje", no civilizado.

La tercera posibilidad es la palabra gallega REFILLO (brote de una planta, REFILLAR quiere decir echar brotes). Es un sinónimo del español RETOÑO o VÁSTAGO, que no se emplea sólo para las plantas, sino también metafóricamente para los hijos.

Y otra posibilidad es la palabra gallega REFEÑO (animal pequeño y de mala casta, que no crece ni engorda). Sería algo así como cuando a un niño se le llama RENACUAJO en español.

El gallego y el asturiano tienen muchas palabras parecidas, pero me parece que no existe ninguna palabra asturiana similar a REFILLO (yo sólo conozco el equivalente GUAÑU). Puede que exista una palabra asturiana parecida a REFEÑO, quizás REFEÑU, pero no estoy seguro.

Saludos - Regards

Xuan Xosé Sanches Vincente's Diccionariu asturianu/castellanu lists rifiñar, v. intr. 1. Fruncir las boca en señal de desgrado, disgusto, desconfianza, extreñeza o asombro|| 2. Arrugar la nariz en señal de desgrado, disgusto, desconfianza, extreñeza o asombro. || 3. Enseñar los dientes retirando un poco los labios de la boca en señal de desgrado, disgusto, desconfianza, extreñeza o asombro.

Roughly, to purse the lips, wrinkle the nose or grimace as a sign of some negative emotion such as disfavor, displeasure, repugnance, lack of confidence, surprise, estrangement, fright or amazement.

In the context of your post, think it would have been "rifiño" and would have meant something like "I am disgusted," but I await clarification or correction from our native speakers of asturianu.

My DALLA is in Rockport. I'll check it when we return there later this week. I particularly like these language discussions: I'm always learning something from them.

Un abrazu pa toos y toes,

Bob Martínez

I think the "Rifeno"-"savage" posibility is quite likely. My mother used to call me "cabila" when I was naughty, just like Moroccan tribes, or "Kabilas".
These expressions entered the common language, it seems, in the early years of the XXth century, when Spain was fighting its colonial wars in Morocco, and tales about atrocities commited by locals reached the homeland

Ok, how about "riciños" (pronounced more or less like refeenyos or retheenyos). Ricinos or riciños (depending on what part of Asturias you're from), simply means "little curls" or "little curly one" and is often used in the context you describe. When you stroke a little curly-head or playfully grab one, you usually say "Ricinos!" (or "Riciños!")

I believe this would really make sense in this context.

Terechu

Terechu - I can't believe it took so long for me to reply to this post! I meant to long ago. But...after much family discussion, it was decided that your response was the most likely by far. My father's hair was and is a big mass of black curls. He was much doted on by his aunts and they loved to stroke his hair. We are sure this is it.