Re: Iberian rain

John Atkinson :

It makes much more sense in the context of the explanation for
"chubasco"
given by the dictionary of the Real Academia Española
(http://buscon.rae.es/diccionario/drae.htm): "Del port. chuva, lluvia".

(Nalook, I hadn't imagined this relation chubasco-"shuvia"...as the porteños
also would say).

Only in that case, the spelling change from "v" to "b" would seem both
pointless and counterintuitive.

Pointless, yes, but not surprising. Semiliterate Spanish speakers
notoriously write <b> for <v> and vice versa.

Semiliterate only? It's crept in Spanish spelling: abogado, movil, venda...
See you in Habana :-o)

guido
http://home.scarlet.be/~pin12499/

.