The use of Spanglish

[dcareamama]

Hi all,
The other day, as I was sitting down with my three year old watching his allowed TV time of Dragon Tales, Dora, and Clifford, I noticed how these programs are incorporating more and more Spanish. I think it is a good thing. However, a fellow mom disagrees and considers that this trend is only perpetuating the use of more Spanglish. We discussed this and I do not agree the programs are using Spanglish. My understanding is that Spanglish occurs when you give a Spanish twist to an English word. Classic example: to park a car - parquear el carro. My friend adamantly states that Spanglish is when you start a sentence in Spanish and finish it in English, or vice versa, or when you combine both languages in the same sentance. Take for example, the PBS program of Maya and Miguel. Maya may say: "Tengo que ir a la tienda, the store, Miguel". Is that Spanglish? I hear, for example, people say "tengo que ir al mall" or "tengo que ir a downtown". Are these examples of Spanglish?

The other day I had a Latino landscaper at my house and he proceeded to ask me if I wanted to do anything in my backyard. He asked me: "quiere que le trimee las rosas en su yarda". Oh, the horrors! At first, I was taken aback, but then I just chuckled inside and responded, "si, por favor, hagale un recorte a las rosas del patio". Then of course there is the recent floor installer who asked: "quiere remover la carpeta"?

So, after all this, my question is, what do you consider to be Spanglish? What do you think about the mixture of the languages in a sentence, as per the example I provided in the Maya and Miguel program?

Thanks!
N.

[AnnaC]

Hi Natasha,
you are absolutely right Spanglish is taking an English word and making it sound Spanish ( or the other way around) as in your example "quiere que le trimee las rosas en su yarda".

Too funny I can see Lesley falling off her chair when she reads that one.

The only show I've watched with the grandkids is "Dora". I've never heard any Spanglish used there. I think it's a great way to teach children another language by sneaking in a few Spanish words in a sentence.

[trina]

I have obviously been using the word "Spanlish" in the incorrect form. I always thought Spanglish was when you start a sentence in Spanish and finish it in English, or vice versa. I speak both forms of the Spanglish mentioned above at times, and I know, it's terrible. It's usually because I don't know a technical word and don't have access to a dictionary. I need to get onto the advanced classes to correct this.

Good to see you around, Natasha. Don't be a stranger!

[AnnaC]

Here's a link to look at the meaning of Spanglish

[Lesley D]

Well, I think your question "what do you consider to be Spanglish?" lends itself to personal interpretation when in fact Spanglish has been adequately defined by modern day linguists. Spanglish is a mixture of English and Spanish as per some of your examples above and words like 'yarda', 'remover' (sometimes used in the wrong context) and 'carpeta' are anglicismos españolizados that have penetrated into the spoken language predominantly in the USA. Why? This happens when two languages coexist and are spoken by a significant percentage of the population. The occurrence of language mixing is inevitable to a certain extent however, I believe that it can and should be avoided due to fact that in most cases the creation of words (anglicismos) don't make any sense.

The purists, grammarians, unilingual speakers of Spanish and strong bilingual speakers object to the usage. I personally am totally against it as it poses a threat to both languages in question and it also indicates the speakers level of education in Spanish. I have said this many times before in previous threads. I don't understand the inclination to mix the two languages and if one does not know a word in Spanish why use a creation from English. This is a hot topic right now in the linguistic sphere and I am following it closely everyday. There are an infinite number of resources and articles that are examining the impact that this language mixing and anglicisms have on Spanish and how English will be spoken in twenty years especially by those who are bilingual.

Keep in mind language mixing is not a new phenomenon but what is occurring in the USA with Spanglish (and rapidly in conjunction with the increase in the Spanish speaking population) has the Real Academia under the gun to curb the penetration and acceptance of Spanish words derived from English. Other language mixing in the world has the same issues and their governing bodies have the same concerns about keeping their respective language pure.

For example:
Spanglish= a mixture of Spanish and English (Spanish words created from English words)

EDITED: I will verify if the mixture of Spanish and English spoken in the same phrase is considered "Spanglish".

Franglais= a mixture of French and English (French words created from English words). This occurs predominantly in Quebec. Talk to me about this mix!

Portugnol= a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish (Portuguese words created from Spanish words) Predominantly in Portugal and Brazil.

I am not in favor of Spanglish especially when words like the abovementioned are used instead of Spanish words that do exist. Una carpeta does not mean 'carpet'. This is not a question of language evolution, this is a question of the meaning of words being changed and as a result don't make sense or don't even exist.

Last week in the Miami paper el Nuevo Herald I read an article that was the worst I had read as far as I can recall in that paper. One phrase that stood out was 'affordable housing' translated as 'viviendas costeables'. Incredible!


-LDG.

[macocael]

I thought carpeta was the proper word to use for "folder" while many people down here insist on using "folder." There is no need for such borrowing, so I consider it wrong, though usage will be the ultimate arbiter.

[mkohn]

I understand carpeta as folder.
The first word I learned for folder was expediente.
mkohn

[dcareamama]

Yes, exactly. My examples were used to show just how big of a problem this has become. While the use of Spanglish has never been acceptable to me, I wanted to pose this question because I have been thinking more about the use of both languages simultaneously. In addition, as my toddler becomes a pre-schooler and his speech continues to develop, I am particularly interested in this topic.

So, the core of my preocupation is this: is alternating languages as when Maya and Miguel speak, essentially Spanglish? While my child does not watch this program (it is geared towards the 6-11 year old group), I have seen a few episodes. Below is a direct quote from the program's website.

"Why do the characters on Maya & Miguel speak English and Spanish?
Maya and Miguel, both bilingual, very often alternate between English and Spanish when they speak. This is called "code-switching," and is common among both bilingual individuals, like Maya and Miguel, as well as English language learners like their cousin Tito. One of the goals of Maya & Miguel is to encourage a positive attitude toward knowing and learning more than one language. Maya & Miguel shows the way in which languages other than English can be a natural part of people's everyday communication."

If code-switching is part of the definition of Spanglish, does that mean that teachers and linguists have become more lenient about the use of Spanglish to promote a positive attitude towards learning and knowing more than one language?

N.

[dcareamama]

Thanks! Husband ended up having to have surgery on his knee. He's coming along. I am also teaching a AP level Spanish class for a teacher who is a friend of mine while she also recuperates from surgery. I miss my kiddos, but it will be only a few weeks

N.

[Stodgord]

My two year old loves those cartoons. We speak spanish to her at home but somehow, by watching the bilingual cartoons she picked up "please" well actually she says "pea" and "me too" from Dora. I doubt she knows the different between the two languages, as I have never heard her say "por favor" or "yo tambien or a mi tambien" in Spanish.