Spanglish

=SPANGLISH = Molly Gilbert The United States is geographically the second-largest Spanish-speaking community in the world. The country houses over 45 million Hispanics, with Spanish as the primary language spoken at home for over 34 million people over 5 years of age (Wikipedia). The contact between native speakers of two different languages often leads to interesting linguistic and social results, and the contact between English and Spanish in the US and in other countries around the globe is no exception. The proximity of these two languages has produced, among other effects, a kind of contact (or creole) language frequently known as Spanglish. Whether referred to as a dialect of either Spanish or English, a "broken" way of speaking either language, a "continuum" between the two languages (Franco, Solorio 1) or as its own fully developed language, Spanglish, also called "espanglés," "ingleñol," or "espanglish," has had an enormous impact on the communication of bilingual speakers in the United States.  Overview: I) Spanglish: A Language of Contact and Culture II) The History of Spanish and English III) The Functions of Spanglish IV) The Grammar of Spanglish V) Common Misconceptions VI) The Future of Spanglish VII) Interview with Pedro García-Caro VIII) References

Spanglish: A Language of Contact and Culture
Spanglish in the past has been spoken more frequently in communities of less educated Latinos attempting to learn English. The language, however, has recently begun to emerge among scholars, professors, and other communities of more prestigious economical and social groups because it is a comfortable way for bilingual speakers to communicate and speak with each other. Spanglish is not just spoken in the US, either; countries all across the Hispanic world have begun using the contact language more prominently. By melting the two languages, bilingual speakers can express themselves more clearly when one language does not have the capability to exactly convey something on its own. Many Latinos in America also use Spanglish as a way to define their culture; many learn English but do not want to give up their native language so they instead combine the two.

People who immigrate to the United States from their native Spanish-speaking countries are often less immersed in English as those who enter countries such as England, where there are fewer Hispanic communities. Spanish-speakers in the United States often do not need to entirely give up their native language in favor of learning English; rather, the two languages have the opportunity to intermingle. The high population of Hispanics in the United States allows for a wide variety of linguistic communities, creating a hybrid of languages and bilingual dialects. Spanish-speakers who do end up learning English often find it difficult to express themselves in the new and unfamiliar language and as a result frequently melt the two together. In a similar context, the second generation of families who immigrate to the United States are statistically the bilingual generation; this group of people often utilize some form of Spanglish to express themselves and communicate more thoroughly and effectively. (see Language Choice)

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Spanish was the first European language to be introduced in North America when Juan Ponce de León arrived in 1513. The British [|Roanoke Colony] was later established in 1586, and subsequently the [|Virginia Colony]in 1624, bringing the English language to the North American territories. At the end of the [|Mexican-American War], the [|Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo] in 1848 ceded to the United States the present-day states of California, Nevada, Texas, Utah and parts of Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. This land transition, along with the [|Mexican Cession], put Spanish and English-speakers in close contact with one another since they were now a part of the same nation. In order to communicate more effectively, speakers most likely blended the two languages together or borrowed words and grammatical structures from either language.

In 1898, the [|Spanish-American War]gave the US possession of Cuba and Puerto Rico, bringing an influx of immigrants from these countries to the US mainland. Other events such as the [|Mexican Revolution]in 1910, the [|Cuban Revolution]in 1959, the [|Bracero Program]in the 1940s (US hired Mexicans to immigrate across borders and work), the [|Jones Act]in 1917 (granted US citizenship to Puerto Rico), and the move to make Puerto Rico a [|Commonwealth]of the US in 1952 had significant impacts on the immigration rates of Hispanics to the US. The languages and cultures these immigrants brought with them were essential to the development of communicative phenomena such as Spanglish as they came into contact with the English language and American culture. This increase in the Hispanic population in the US, along with the globalization of culture and the rapid technological advances in the world have led to certain linguistic characteristics of Spanglish.

The Grammar of Spanglish
Spanglish, like any other contact language, has over time developed its own set of systematical grammatical structures and rules. Contrary to some popular beliefs, Spanglish is not a random jumble of words from both languages; it combines the syntax, grammar, and lexicon of Spanish and English to form complex structures and functions. There are countless examples of these functions, more than are listed here. However, some of these examples are as follows: // ex:// She wants to go //a la playa hoy//. // ex:// //parquear, chequear, hangear, yarda, pregneada// // ex:// //Te llamo para atrás//. (I'll call you back) // ex:// //bibaporú// (meaning "Vicks Vapor Rub") // ex:// //carpeta// originally means "folder," but in Spanglish is often used as "carpet" Examples of these phenomena can be seen in the following video, in which a native Spanish speaker pokes fun at the Spanglish language. Though the speaker is not using Spanglish in a natural conversation, he does express several grammatical characteristics of the language, namely code-switching:media type="youtube" key="TRtoGQU6w9g" height="344" width="425"
 * Code-switching: moving from one language to another in a single conversation or utterance, either between sentences (inter-sentential) or inside a sentence (intra-sentential)
 * Adaption of an English word into Spanish form
 * Translation of an English expression into Spanish with English syntax
 * Straight phonetic translation of an English word
 * Spanish words given new meanings to relate with the English language

Common Misconceptions
In the 1960s through the 1970s, it was widely believed that code-switching was not a characteristic of the communications between bilingual speakers but rather an indicator of the inability of a speaker to fully communicate in either language. This belief was referred to as the "deficiency model lens." Later on, in the 1980s the "proficiency model lens" arose when linguists and other individuals realized that code-switching was in fact a clear indication of a bilingual speaker's fluency and competence in //both// languages.

Because the US is so heavily monolingual, there is often an immediate reaction of distaste or misunderstanding by Americans towards immigrants from other countries who do not speak English well or even at all. People in the US frequently find it difficult to understand the realities of others who do not speak English; they often take the desire to learn English for granted and may not be respectful or accommodating to non-English speakers or speakers who are in the process of learning English. Pedro García-Caro, a professor in the Department of Romance languages at the University of Oregon and a native Spanish speaker from Spain, says that the general attitude in the US towards non-English speakers is "a basic accusation of sheer ignorance...by people who are heavily ignorant of other languages and cultures...it is probably the most drastic miscommunication [between the two groups of speakers]."

The Future of Spanglish
40-60% of English is made up of Latin, French other romance languages; may linguists today argue that English itself is a romance language or that it is becoming one. At one time, English was simply a blend of languages such as French and German, in effect a contact language in a situation very similar to that of Spanglish today. Many believe that Spanglish is already or is fast on its way to becoming an entirely new language. Though English emerged in a time when historically languages had more opportunities and freedom to change and grow, Spanglish is quickly growing and expanding. Inventions and media such as the printing press and television, as well as institutions designed to preserve the stability of languages, make it more difficult for new languages to surface, yet the permeability of languages allow them to be malleable and influenced by other languages and outside factors. According to author Ilan Stevens, "Spanglish is so new and unofficial that all the rules are unofficial." (Stevens 5)

Spanglish's emergence as language is threatened, however, by factors such as geography; the Spanglish of one area is very different from the Spanglish of another, making it difficult for the language to have a sense of unity. In addition, many people, such as those in the //[|Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española] (Association of Spanish Language Academies) oppose Spanglish because they believe it defies the natural Spanish language; as García-Caro states, the "corruption of the language." These "puritans" see Spanglish as a threat to Spanish's prosperity and durability. García-Caro also states, however, that it is a "lost war for the puritans because languages are much more flexible than they think." //

Interview with Pedro Garcia-Caro, assistant professor in the Department of Romance Languages:
1) What were your initial experiences when entering an English-speaking country? How did you adapt to being in a country that didn't speak your native language? 2) What difficulties did you have when you first learned English? 3) You are now fluent in English, but did you previously ever find it difficult to be a bilingual speaker? Do you think you speak (or ever spoke) a form of "Spanglish?" 4) What kinds of obstacles do you think a native Spanish speaker might encounter when entering an English-speaking country, perhaps a Spanish speaker who doesn't speak any English? 5) How do you think "Spanglish" has developed? Do you think it is beneficial to the communication between English and Spanish speakers? Part 1 media type="file" key="part 1 inter view.mov" Part 2 media type="file" key="part 2 interview.mov"

References
"Background Note: Spain, Profile." US Department of State. 2008. Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. 17 November 2008. 

Franco, Juan C. and Thamar Solorio. "Baby-Steps Towards Building a Spanglish Language Model." Research paper. University of Texas, 2006.

García-Caro, Pedro. Personal Interview. 26 November 2008.

Jíminez, Rosa María. "Spanglish: The Language of Chicanos." __Prized Writing__. 2008. UC Davis. 5 December 2008. 

Johnson, Alex. "Spanglish." __Freelance Spain__. 2000. J.D. Dallet for Freelance Spain. 30 November 2008. <http://www.spainview.com/spanglish.html>

Pardos, José Luis. "History, Geography, Population and Society." Sí, Spain. 1994. Sí, Spain Project. 17 November 2008.> <http://www.sispain.org/english/geopop.html>

"Spanish Arts." Spanish Arts Gallery. 2006. Telnet Servicios Telemáticos. 18 November 2008. <http://www.spanisharts.com/>

"Spanish in the United States." __Wikipedia__. 28 November 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_in_the_US>

Stavans, Ilan. __Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language__. Blah: Harper Collins, 2004.

<span style="color: rgb(237, 2, 2);">Photo References
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