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Leslie Froelich, Mundo Hispánico

Is Spanglish a threat to English or a natural linguistic evolution?

The wave of immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries to the United States has not only had economic, political and social impact, but it has also changed the American lexicon.

If you "chequea" (check) your emails every day, pay the "biles" (bills) and get together with friends for "el lonche" (lunch), you are speaking Spanglish.

English might be the predominant language in the United States, but more than 40 million U.S. residents speak Spanish at home, according to the Census. Where English and Spanish collide, Spanglish, a mixture of the two languages emerges.

"It's basically a variation on the predominant language, which in this case is English, explains Óscar Moreno, a Spanish professor at Georgia State University.

According to Moreno, those who speak Spanglish do it unconsciously and in many cases Spanish speakers use Spanglish to talk to other people who speak Spanish but do not use the same words for the same meanings.

For example, it is easier to say 'popcorn,' instead of explaining that in Venezuela they say 'cotufa,' in Columbia 'crispetas' or that in Mexico it's called 'palomitas.'

"Resident Hispanics have created a way to communicate which is easily accessible to new comer immigrants. These new comers have trouble with English and with Spanish, said Moreno, who is of Chilean descent. He said that Spanglish is most spoken in states with large Hispanic populations such as California, Florida, and Arizona.

Beyond words

The invention of Spanglish words has caused much controversy, according to Ilian Stavans, professor of Latin American Studies at Amherst College, and author of the dictionary "Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language."

"Many people complain that there are too many new words, but this phenomenon is not at all new," said Stavans, who is of Mexican descent. "People invent new words out necessity, whether it is because of technological advances or because a particular group adapted their linguistic codes to the new world that surrounds them."

The Spanglish phenomenon, according to Stavans, is not just about the need for new forms of communication but it also has a social explanation.

"There is an ideological theme behind Spanglish which has to do with the acceptance of the Latin American community into the American society," Stavans added. "Spanglish is controversial precisely because it sits at the crux of a series of topics that are of great importance to the country right now. For example, how Hispanics adapt to American values or remain loyal to the ideals of their own cultures."

Criticism and praise

Hispanics as well as Americans worry about the emergence of Spanglish. A debate erupted between Hispanics who think Spanglish will destroy Spanish, and others who think it's an evolution of the traditional language.

To get a quick taste of the passion this polemic provokes, we only need to take a look at the commentary published in the Argentine newspaper El Clarín by Roberto González-Echeverria, a professor of Hispanic and Comparative Literature at Yale University.

"Spanglish is an invasion by English into the Spanish language," he wrote. "It's a danger to the Hispanic culture and to the progress of Latin Americans. The sad reality is that Spanglish is basically the language of poor Hispanics who are essentially illiterate in both languages, some of whom are ashamed of their origin and try to look like the rest by using English words and translating English idioms."

But not everyone agrees with González-Echeverria. According to Stavans, Spanglish is simply a natural evolution. He said there are no pure languages because all languages are constantly changing.

Moreno recognizes that many people reject Spanglish but he said it has a place between the two languages. "I think Spanglish enriches our cultural expression," he said.

Voices of the future

The youth are at the forefront of this new development, especially those who arrive to this country at an early age.

Such is the case of Aglea Soto, a 21-year-old Mexican woman who has spent more than half her life in the United States. Upon being asked what she did for a living, Soto answered: I work "full time", I am a secretary in a "landscaping" company and I also attend "college." She said it is easier to use these English terms [words with quotation marks said in English, while speaking in Spanish] because "everyone knows what they mean."

However, Soto said that she does not usually notice that she is mixing English and Spanish.

"When I speak they both come out. I don't know if I think in English or Spanish, but I say it however it comes out."

Soto said that choosing which language to use depends on the company you are keeping. She speaks Spanish at work to communicate with construction workers and at home with her parents. But she speaks English with friends, though the majority of them are Latinos.

Despite the controversy, Soto said she does not find Spanglish to be a negative influence. "I think what we are doing is natural. I don't think we are destroying the Spanish language."

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