Did you know?: The origin of the word "spam"

Did you know? The origin of the word spam. Courses to learn Spanish.

Did you know?: The origin of the word "spam"

Hello #Vivers! Surely you are tired of deleting advertising or commercial emails that you have never requested, junk emails or more generally known as "spam". Sometimes it becomes an annoying task to which we must dedicate a few minutes a day or at certain intervals. For our part, you can rest assured, since we do not send emails with information about our courses to learn Spanish. Have you ever thought about the true origin of this word? Today in a new entry in our section, did you know what? we tell you...

The word "spam", which does not appear in the DRAE (Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy), arose from the need to give some name to the large amount of spam we often receive over the Internet.

There is a version of the origin of "spam" that suggests that it comes from the acronym for "Short, Pointless, and Annoying Messages."

But the most reliable origin of "spam" is related to the abbreviation of the name of a pork luncheon meat that has been sold by the Hormel company since 1937, SPiced hAM (seasoned or spiced ham).

Popularization of the use of the word

The success of the meaning of the term "spam" became popular with a Monty Python sketch broadcast on his Flying Circus program. In it, a couple enters a cheap restaurant and asks the waitress what dishes are on the menu. The waitress responds “spam with egg, spam with sausage, spam with egg and sausage, spam, spam with canned egg, spam with canned sausage…”, and so on a long succession of combinations. This mechanical repetition of the term "spam" was the inspiration for computer scientists to give this name to this type of computer garbage.

Curious, right? Well, if you are interested in knowing more curiosities like this, be sure to read the Luis Vives' Spanish Blog.

And if you are looking for a course to learn to speak Spanish fluently like a native and improve your grammar, stop by Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid! 

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