Spanglish

The definition of Spanglish has not been formalised but many linguists class it as the language formed from the mixture of Spanish and English. 

Why does the language exist?

Spanglish was originally formed in Puerto Rico where the US tried to make them speak English and it is commonly used as the interlanguage between America and Mexico.  Therefore, code switching was a great way to communicate each other’s ideas in a way which both groups were likely to understand without having to learn a second language. However, many linguists also say that these two languages have a “lexical attraction”, as they are naturally very similar. 

Is Spanglish a language?

As Spanglish has evolved, its classification developed too. Initially, Spanglish was a form of code-switching¹, where the language used was interchanged when people did not know a certain word in their second language.

Then, Spanglish became classed as a pidgin² since people simplified the grammar that they were using by changing languages. For example, an informal rule for speaking Spanglish is to try to avoid conjugating Spanish verbs, so Spanglish speakers could even avoid learning Spanish verb conjugations.

As the language evolved, rules began to emerge. For example, often the code-switching is used for effect, even by bilingual people, showing that it may be a stand-alone language. 

Nowadays, it can also be classed as a creole³ because it is spoken as a native language to those who are exposed to it on a day to day basis. 

Therefore, Spanglish can be classed as a mass of terms and even if it is not a language now, I predict that it will develop further into its own language soon. Many people deny that it is a language because they think it is only used by those too lazy to learn a second language, but Spanglish does show many linguistic properties.

Every natural language is based on other languages, for example, English has been highly influenced by Latin, French and German, yet each of those are languages. Using this principle, although Spanglish is highly based on Spanish and English, it could be a language. 

 There are even Spanglish words that are not the same as their Spanish/ English counterparts. Let’s consider the following clichéd example:

‘el rufo está leakeando’

Since, leakear is not a Spanish verb; it is based upon the English word, using the Spanish conjugation. Also, words formed from Spanglish are now in circulation in Spanish. For example, chequer (to check) is not used across the US, Puerto Rico and Mexico even in fluent Spanish speech. This is contrasted to the traditional Spanish word ‘comprobar’, showing the English influence on Spanish. 

These examples show that Spanglish is more than code-switchning, a pidgin and a creole, and therefore must be a language, ¿verdad?

Are there any formal rules of Spanglish?

There are very few grammar books on Spanglish, so rules are very informal and rules are very irregular. However, over the years, patterns have formed across Spanglish speaking communities and dialects have erupted.

There are two types of Spanglish:

Intersentential code-switching is when one sentence is spoken in a certain language and then the following sentence is completely in the second language. This is the form of Spanglish which si usually found in spontaneous language, such as dialogue.

Intrasentential code-switching is when separate phrases are articulated in different languages. This involved a lot of skill because the accent also needs to be altered and the speaker must be very fluent in both languages to be able to avoid grammatical inaccuracies and to make it sound fluent.

One of the rules in intrasentential Spanglish is that it is ungrammatical to change languages between the noun and the following adjective. For example, el flor red is ungrammatical. This may be because Spanish uses post-nominal structure (la niña bonita) where are English uses pre-nominal (the pretty girl). Since these rules contrast, the adjective in Spanglish must be between the noun and determiner, for example “El old man está enojado.”⁴

Since it is nearly Christmas, below is the Spanglish version of ‘twas a night before Christmas’

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa,

Not a creature was stirring - ¡Caramba! ¿Qué pasa?

Los niños were tucked away in their camas,

Some in long underwear, some in pijamas,

While hanging the stockings with mucho cuidado,

In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado,

To bring all children, both onten and malos,

A nice batch of dulces and other regalos.

Then chuckling aloud, seeming very ontent,

He turned like a flash and was gone como el viento,

And I heard him exclaim, y ¡esto es verdad!

Merry Christmas to all, ¡y Feliz Navidad!'

¹code-switching: the act of alternating between two or more languages or dialects in a conversation.

²pidgin: a simplified language to break the language barrier between two groups.

³creole- a separate language that has evolved from the mixing of two or more languages, i.e. an evolved pidgin.

⁴Sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanglish

If you want to learn more about the language, I recommend the following resources:

Pardon my Spanglish

This is the title of the book by Bill Santiago, a stand-up comedian, who was brought up in a Spanglish speaking environment. He wrote the whole book in Spanglish which is amazing for the reader (but detailed knowledge of both languages are required to understand it fully). Santiago has had very little linguistic experience, therefore do not expect a grammar reference book, instead this is a funny explanation of the language with many humorous examples.

There is a very good interview with Bill Santiago on:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKPFRNghCKE

Spanglish (film)

This is a wonderful romantic comedy film with some interesting linguistic aspects. One of the main characters, Flor, works in an American household but speaks very little English which causes many problems. Flor uses a simplified version of Spanglish to communicate with her bosses, showing viewers the process of how the communication develops from code-switching to a more sophisticated language.

This film is also mentioned in ‘Is that a fish in your ear’ (a book that I reviewed on the 1^st of December), as it shows the difficulties in translation. Flor relies on her young daughter to translate an argument however the daughter fails to understand that she does not need to replicate the angry tone of voice or actions that her mum was doing when translating. This shows that interpreting is a skill, rules need to be learned to do it properly and that the emotion is lost in translation as interpreters are not expected to convey it.