Spanglish

by Elaine Langlois At a high school football game, the conversation in the bleachers switches smoothly from English to Spanish and back to English again. Tiempo is money, a radio advertiser proclaims. In Springfield, Massachusetts, a sign tells young Latinos No Hangeardont hang out on this corner. Whats going on? Spanglish. Spanglish is a mix of Spanish and English. English words with a Spanish twist, says Bob Edwards, former host of Morning Edition on National Public Radio (NPR). Ilan Stavans, author of Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language, says that a Spanglish speaker starts in one language, switches to the other back and forth or perhaps coins a few new words or thinks in one language and reacts in another one. It is a very creative, jazzy way of being Latino in the U.S. today. Spanglish has been around since the nineteenth century. But now its moving into the mainstream. You hear it on TV series like Nickelodeons The Brothers Garcia. Rap, rock, and hip-hop with Spanglish lyrics pervade the airwaves, and theyre coming from both Hispanic and non-Hispanic performers. You read it on la Internet, where words like butear (computer), surfear (surf), cliquear (click), and chatear (chat) even have a name: Cyberspanglish. Advertisers are turning to Spanglish as a way to break into growing Latino markets. Its long been a staple of commercials on Spanish-language stations. Now McDonalds is airing Spanglish TV spots, Avon has issued a Spanglish catalog, and Hallmark puts out Spanglish greeting cards. Spanglish is spoken by children and high school students, migrant workers and new immigrants, young urbanites and professionals. It transcends age, social class, and background. Spanglish varies by group and location. Cuban-Americans speak one version; Nueva York Spanglish is different still. Says Ed Morales, author of Living in Spanglish, Spanglish is becoming a new kind of hip language in the way that hip language came out of the African American community for so long. And though its mostly an oral language, it crops up in the work of writers like Sandra Cisneros, Gary Soto, Julia Alvarez, and Roberto G. Fernandez. Spanglish is popular because the Hispanic population is large and growing. As of 2000, Hispanics made up 13 percent of the nation, some 37 million Americans. In fact, Hispanics have surpassed African Americans to become the majority minority.

Its common for new immigrants to mix their native language with that of their adopted country. But that usually stops within a generation or two. New arrivals push their offspring to master English because they think its required for success. As their children and grandchildren move into American society, they tend to leave their culture and language behind. That hasnt happened with Spanglish. One reason is that Hispanics are still coming to the United States. From 1990 to 2000, they accounted for 40 percent of the increase in the nations population. Hispanic communities and cultures have not died away. Theyre constantly refreshed with new waves of arrivals. And unlike immigrants from distant countries, Latino immigrants are geographically close to their ancestral nations. Theres a lot of going back and forth. Traditional ways, and the Spanish language, are more needed and less likely to be forgotten. There may also be less pressure to blend into American society than there was in the past. Latinos are learning English as well as other newcomers have. But at the same time, theyre holding on to Spanglish. For many people, being fluent in Spanglish shows that they live in two worlds and can manage both. I speak English perfectly. I speak Spanish perfectly, and I choose to speak both simultaneously. How cool is that? says Nely Galan, president of a Los Angeles TV and film production company. Spanglish Words
Term bacapear chopin deiof estrs frizer jonrn klinex lonche nocaut soquete tuchdaun wikn Pronunciation ba-kah-PEAR TCHO-peen dey-OF es-TRES FREE-zer khon-RON KLEE-nex LONCHE no-KAUT so-KE-te toch-DAWN wee-KEN to back up (1) shopping center, mall; (2) going shopping day off stress refrigerator home run tissue paper (1) midday meal; (2) food served to guests at event knockout (boxing) sock touchdown weekend Meaning

In families, Spanglish bridges the gap between parents or grandparents more comfortable speaking Spanish and younger generations fluent in English. It can also be a means of identifying with other Latinos, communicating quickly and easily, and setting yourself apart from the Anglos around you. According to Malaika Gordon, reporting for NPR, Spanglish serves as a practical, functional, and expressive way to make a point. A young Latino may be talking in Spanish and then insert an English expression because its the best, quickest, or most precise means of expressing what he or she wants to say. Some people think this code-switching between languages shows a lack of mastery of English or Spanishthe inability to find the right word. But others believe you need a strong command of both languages to carry it off. The ability to move smoothly from one language to another in conversation is a remarkable skill. Even more so is the ability to make careful distinctions while doing it: to reach for an English word because its concise, or a Spanish word because it expresses anger, or even to coin a new word when no other word will do. Not everyone is happy with the proliferation of Spanglish in everyday life. Some people think Spanglish is corrupting Spanishand English. Speaking Spanglish is sometimes taken as a sign that you cant speak English properly. Others dismiss Spanglish as slang, not a true language. Spanglish has been caught in the crossfire of issues of assimilation and of integration into the society, says Stavans. But I dont think Spanglish is really replacing the devotion of Latinos to the English language. Latinos are learning English. That doesnt mean that they should sacrifice their original language or that they should give up this in-betweeness that is Spanglish. Spanglish is a creative way also of saying, I am an American and I have my own style, my own taste, my own tongue.