It is called Spanglish

     Spanglish is here to stay. It’s been called a language, a mix of languages, the act of switching languages, and gibberish that is used to describe a speaker who uses English and Spanish but is fluent in neither. But whatever it is or whatever it is called, or however it is identified, it is spoken today in many communities of the United States where there is a significant Hispanic population. This is not exactly a new term. “The term Spanglish (espanglish in Spanish) appears to have been coined by the Puerto Rican journalist Salvador Tió (1954) in a newspaper column first published in 1952” ( John M. Lipski pg. 41) This is an exploration into Spanglish from two different perspectives. These two sources are about the same subject but presented in different ways. The sources do not argue with each other, but they do complement each other. The first is an academic paper written for a Spanglish convention at an American university. It is a very formal, academic presentation that is well documented with more identifiable sources that could potentially be used as primary sources.  The second is a video about the use of Spanglish produced by a Spanish cable television station and is more concerned with its descriptive use; that is, what is spoken and produced by users of Spanglish. In this video, Spanglish speakers are interviewed and asked to talk about Spanglish in their lives and also to give examples of Spanglish. It is a descriptive approach because it is only concerned with what is being said and how the language is used. It is very informal, but is still valuable as resource.

     This is the first source: http://www3.amherst.edu/~spanglish/garrido.htm. It is a paper for a presentation at a Spanglish conference at Amherst College. It does not only discuss English, Spanish, and Spanglish, but claims that there is more than one kind of Spanglish. It is concerned with identifying and labeling what of language is spoken and who is speaking it. It also looks at American culture and its ties to language, especially “Spanglish” It addresses prescriptivism and rules, laws and fluency as well as descriptivism and language use.

      The fact that this is an “.edu” site is a strong factor in determine if this site is deemed as credible. (Dr Jose Diaz class lecture) Another way to determine the credibility of a source is by identifying the author or authors. The author of this paper is easily identifiable. (Joaquín Garrido)                                   

    This source has an easily identifiable date (April 2-3, 2004) which is a good indication that this may be credible. Another item suggested by Dr Diaz was “Grey Literature.” This article is just that. It is an unpublished academic article for a presentation at a college. This is a very strong indication of credibility.     

     But the strongest indication of the credibility of this article is in the plethora of sources listed in its bibliography. The research has already been done. One could feel good about quoting this author because it is obvious that author has done the research. Not only could this article be considered a primary source, but any of the author’s sources would likely qualify as well.

     This article is definitely an informative article. It is loaded with information and statistics about various topics that the writer uses in an attempt to support his argument. It is also a persuasive article as the author attempts to prove that there are different kinds of Spanglish. This article is definitely a primary source. The material, based on several factors for judging sources, passes with flying colors.

     The overwhelming strength of this article is its impressive list of sources cited. This would lead the reader to more credible information. This article does not have a weakness other than perhaps lack of original material. Everything is a quote or paraphrase, but this is a strong source.

     The second source is a twenty minute news special documentary about Spanglish that takes place literally, on the streets of three different communities where the Spanglish is slightly different. http://www.myspace.com/video/rodgfilms/spanglish-news-special-documentary/51878838 It takes place in New York City, New York where there is a heavy Puerto Rican and Dominican influence, Hialeah, Florida where there is a strong Cuban influence, and Del Rio, Texas, a border town where there is obviously a huge Mexican influence. It speaks of geographical factors that determine what kind of Spanglish is spoken as well as socio-economic factors. This video exists independently of “MySpace” but this is where it was seen. It is a “.com” which is a red flag when determining credibility of sources. But this film is a documentary by a television company. The material within seems good. It shows vivid examples of people from different Hispanic cultures (Dominican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Mexican) speaking Spanglish, and talking about Spanglish. It also interviews several celebrities who give their thoughts on Spanglish and even some who are cashing in on Spanglish.

     MySpace is not considered reliable, but this video is only shown there. It is produced by a cable company, which does not automatically qualify it or disqualify it from consideration as a primary source, but that would be better than MySpace. It is made by “Mun2” which is a subsidiary of NBC. It is likely a trustworthy source. The material is worthy, despite where it is being presented. And no matter who created it, it is a great example of how people speak. It is an excellent example of descriptive language in terms of English, Spanish or Spanglish. It comes right from the mouths of the speakers who speak this language, or conglomeration of languages.

     It does not have an author, but it does have a producer. That would suffice as an author in this case. There is a date of release which is a good sign of credibility.

     One of the strengths of this video is that is shows real people speaking the real language that they speak every day. It offers some of the advantages and some of the disadvantages of speaking Spanglish. It is reality. It also gets at peoples’ feelings about their own language use. The advantages of this are that there is a certain creativity when choosing which words to choose, whether English, Spanish, Spanglish, or like most often, some combination of the three. It is of conscious code switching, but not only as a creative outlet as in inventing, creating or mixing two or more words, but out of necessity. It is unconscious code switching where a word is used in one language because the word is not known in the other language.

      Many of the speakers speak of diglossia, (although the speakers do not identify the term) meaning they speak a certain way in one situation, and speak another way in a different one. It shows clearly that the language is in transition and continues to evolve. After all, language does not operate in a vacuum. It is constantly changing as stated here by Rosina Lippi-Green. “We begin with those linguistic facts of life that will be crucial to the issues raised in the

course of this book: All spoken language changes over time.• All spoken languages are equal in terms of linguistic potential.” (Rosina Lippi-Green pg. 60)

     Having the opportunity to see all of these definitions and theories at work is the strongest part of this video.  It is really is the animation of socio-linguistic laws. Another strength of this video is that it has written and printed examples of Spanglish as well as spoken examples. It is odd how certain words are selected. In some examples, the nouns are in English and verbs in Spanish, and at other times, vice versa.

     The weakest part of this article is that it is on MySpace. Social media is acceptable and can be used as a primary source, but this would be stronger outside of MySpace. This is an academic project that is well produced, but a more academic setting would serve it better. One good thing is that without social media, this piece may go un-noticed, and that would be a shame because it is an excellent production with vivid examples.

     The use of these two sources in particular gives the reader a better rounded sense of what is taking place. Having the article talk about “code switching” and define what is happening and give every example a label is excellent. To then watch this video and see all of these theories and definitions in motion paint a real picture as to what is happening. On one hand, you have the author of the article speaking about code switching. Then, in the video, it is witnessed in live real conversation. Reading a line from the article that says, “Speakers claim membership in the mainstream by speaking Spanglish” (http://www3.amherst.edu/~spanglish/garrido.htm) and then watching people from the video say it’s a social thing gives the viewer a high definition view of the big picture. Reading the author speaking of diglossia in academic terms is one thing, but seeing people say “Yeah, I do that” without knowing the definition or the term is quite another. The opportunity to see the definitions taking place in the real world really drives the lesson home.

     To see the non standard language variety at work with code switching, in real time and to see (and hear) heteroglossic beauty right before your eyes (and ears) is the best way to really understand what kind of English, Spanish, or Spanglish is being used and how language is so intricately tied to culture.

Works Cited

 Garrido, Joaquín.   “Spanglish, Spanish and English.”  An International Conference on Spanglish         Amherst College, April 2-3, 2004.  http://www3.amherst.edu/~spanglish/garrido.htm.

 Web. September 30, 2012.

 Gizzle, Rod. Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/51878838  February 7, 2009.

 Web. September 30, 2012.

 Diaz, Dr. Jose. Class lecture on “Finding Spanish Resources” The Ohio State University.
August 29, 2012

Guest Speaker.

Lipski, John M. Varieties of Spanish in the United States. Chapter 3. Pages 38-74. Georgetown University Press. 2008.
Electronic Print.

Lippi-Green, Rosina. English with an Accent. Chapter 1. Pages 5-26. Routledge. 2012.
Electronic Print.