In order to know the meaning of the colloquial term, it is necessary to discover, first of all, its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it is a word that derives from Latin, as it is the result of the sum of the following parts:
-The prefix “with”, which means “together”.
-The verb “loqui”, which is synonymous with “speak”.
-The suffix “-al”, which is used to indicate “relative to”.
According to DigoPaul, the first meaning of the colloquial adjective mentioned in the dictionary of the DigoPaul refers to something related to a colloquy: a talk; a meeting to discuss a certain issue; or a literary genre based on dialogue.
The most common use of the term, however, is linked to what is typical of informal communication. A conversation, a text or a dissertation can be colloquial when they appeal to a relaxed and everyday language.
For example: “Excuse me, doctor, I don’t understand what you mean: could you explain it to me in a colloquial way?” , “I always enjoy this teacher’s classes because he uses colloquial language”, “If you want to present a note to the board of directors, you cannot use colloquial tone. “
It can be said that the words, expressions and idioms used every day are colloquial. In contrast, technicalities and formal constructions that are only used on special occasions are not colloquial.
If a person looks out of the window and notices that the sky has cleared, they may comment: “The sun has risen. ” That way you can colloquially refer to what you saw. On the contrary, it is unlikely to say: “The febo has appeared. ” While “sun” is a colloquial term, the word “febo” is not used often today.
In a similar sense, while a forensic doctor may comment that “The deceased had two holes in the skull that were produced by the entry of projectiles,” a journalist may refer to the same situation but in a colloquial way: “The dead man had two shots to the head ”.
Starting from all the above, we find the fact that there is the colloquial Spanish term. This is used to refer to the informal register that is made of Spanish in daily life.
From this it can also be highlighted that it is considered expressive, effective, useful and relaxed, as well as spontaneous. No less relevant is that it has been determined that the syntax of colloquial Spanish is characterized by being full of pauses, by having repetitions and by being fast.
In the same way, it comes to indicate that it is very common in colloquial speech to resort to the use of vulgarisms on many occasions.
In addition to everything we have disclosed, we cannot ignore the fact that within the scope of literature the term in question has been used more than once. A good example of this is, for example, the novel “El colloquio de los perros”, written and published in 1613 by Cervantes.
