The Vaya Blog: Just A ‘Lil NYC Spanglish!

What exactly *IS* Spanglish?

Yes, it’s a movie with Adam Sandler and Penelope Cruz. “Spanglish” is a rather good movie which essentially deals with what happens when cultures are mixed and principles clash. Sadly, this is not a movie review but, for more information on the film, check out IMDB’s database entry for “Spanglish” (Hint: It’s lighter on the comedy and heavier on the romance than one may expect from Adam Sandler).

Spanglish, in simple terms, is the collective term referring to Spanish phrases and words that use and combine words borrowed from English. The idea behind Spanglish is to substitute words in Spanish that already exist in the formal and pure language, forming new, widely-accepted or regionally-accepted colloquialisms.

This is how I understand and define what Spanglish is but, to some, it is also a movement or an indescribable essence. In recent conversations, my partner, Yomar, and I have discussed some interesting features of the Spanish language. One thing is that, thought there are arguably countless dialects out there, employing control and confidence over the basic, day-to-day Spanish phrases, grammar, and semantics gives you a sort of universal key, unlocking many, many worlds.

The Spanglish movement is about a combination of two big worlds: the English and Spanish worlds, so to speak. Focusing on just the language aspect, it is interesting seeing how mistakes can become part of the official, accepted part of a language. Many incorrect words from years ago are now found in the dictionary. What are the roots of words like vaya, wepa, y vale, especially in the use we see applied to them today? I digress. These thoughts alone can lead to a lengthy conversation…

Spanglish, in it’s most well-known connotation, is a phenomenon happening in the Hispanic world and throughout communities in the United States. For Spanish speakers who did not grow up in the United States it is “weird” and “funny” to hear these words coming from Spanish speakers in this country.

The following are some common words I hear in the subway all the time:

Spanglish – English – Spanish
Parquear – To park – Estacionar
El parqueo – The parking lot – El estacionamiento
Rentar – To rent – Alquilar
Chequear – To check – Revisar/Inspeccionar
La factoría – The factory – La fábrica
Bloquear – To block – Obstruir/Atascar

There are other words that are really distorted from what Spanish would be; it takes a while to understand what they are trying to say. I would say that to understand them first of all you should be in the environment where they are used primarily and, of course, you should know possess a strong command of the English language; otherwise, it would be difficult to grasp what they are trying to say. Some of these words include, but are not limited to:

Spanglish – English – Spanish
La marqueta – The market – El Mercado
El raite – The ride – El paseo/La vuelta
El lonche – The lunch – El almuerzo
La troca – The truck – El camión
La carpeta – The carpet – La alfombra
La baika – The bike – La bicicleta

These are just some common “words” in Spanglish I hear all the time but surely many more. Can you think of any? I’d love to discuss how these colloquialisms vary throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

One must wonder, why is the phenomenon happening? I would say that it is easier for Hispanics living in the United States to describe something in English; since they don’t know the correct word in Spanish then they would use the English word adapted to Spanish. Sometimes, direct translations do not convey an idea properly, which is where Spanglish comes in very handy. All over the world, dictionaries both online and offline are being updated to account for these widely-accepted terms.

Some terms in technology, especially when dealing with computers and Internet, have no translation in Spanish and therefore the English is used; for instance “software” and “mouse”. You may find more words online under the name of “cyber-spanglish” but this is just one of many specific adaptations of the ubiquitous entity known as Spanglish. Unlike Engrish, which represents generally unacceptable deviations from the official English language, Spanglish is very much accepted in everyday communication in many cases.

The Spanglish trend is seeing growth patterns right now and is certainly an interesting phenomenon worth exploring and understanding further. Some Spanish purists speak of a one-true dialect but I’d wager that, in this day and age, there is no pure language. Every cultural melting pot has it’s own fusion of the languages and cultures that exist. From what I understand, this is also something that happens in Japan and other countries. Again, we see that language and culture are very much kindred spirits. Quite fascinating, really… What are your thoughts on the use of Spanglish and modernization of the Spanish language? Don’t be shy – I can’t wait to hear from everyone out there!