Vulgarisms are usually used in colloquial language.
If we go to the dictionary developed by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) to find out what the idea of vulgarism refers to, we will find that the term refers to the expressions that the common people usually use. This notion (vulgo), for its part, is linked to ordinary people, who do not have special resources or knowledge.
In a broad sense, therefore, vulgarisms are the expressions that people use in their daily lives . Continuing with this reasoning, vulgarisms are associated with colloquial speech , which is why they are not part of the so-called cultured language .
The concept of cultured language is defined as the set of words, expressions and correct grammatical rules , which are usually used by individuals considered cultured ; That is, those who have completed higher education at a formal level or who enjoy a very rich culture due to having been nourished by various sources of knowledge and having been interested in art.
Evolution of the cultured language and vulgarisms
It is important to note that the cultured language is not a closed and absolute set, since the social context is determining when using the language; For this reason we can distinguish between the formal cultured language (which is used in speeches and conferences on specific topics, among other events generally governed by firm structures) and the informal cultured language (which we can find in meetings of friends who have a good command of of language). In neither of the two areas just mentioned are vulgarisms used, although this does not mean that no errors are made.
An example of modification of a term that in the past was considered a vulgarism but that is currently accepted as a correct form is found in the first person singular of the present tense of the indicative mood of the verb adecuar : although the originally accepted conjugation was "adequate", nowadays "adecúo" is also accepted. Cases like this arise when a large portion of the speakers of a language adopt an incorrect form without knowing it, and the language academy considers that imposing a correction would represent an unnecessary fissure in the culture.
Currently, a vulgarism is understood to be a defect or error that violates the rules of the language.
The term today
In any case, it is common for the concept to be applied specifically to sayings and words that are used to replace correct phrases and terms . It can be said, therefore, that vulgarisms are errors or defects, although many times they are not the result of ignorance but of regional ways of speaking or even of the changes that the language experiences over the course of history .
“I am angry with myself,” for example, is a vulgarism. The correct way to express anger of this type would be the following: “I am angry with myself.” As can be seen, vulgarisms do not usually prevent the understanding of the expression .
Other examples of vulgarisms
“I got pricked by a needle”, “Feed the dog so it stops barking!”, “I hope there is a restaurant open at this time”, “The doctor told me I have to diet.” y “It's the worst thing that happened to me in my life” son otras expresiones que incluyen vulgarismos y que, por lo tanto, presentan words que son incorrectas. En estos últimos ejemplos deberíamos reemplazar los términos abuja, delen, haiga, doctor y worse, por needle, give it, is, doctor y worse, respectivamente.
Let's look at some vulgarisms composed of more than one word, with the correct expression in parentheses: a la que (when); under the pretext of (with the pretext of); I grabbed and (then); against more (the more); sure that (surely, sure that); in your favor (in your favor, in your favor); be cursed (be cursed); the most (most).