Spanglish
Targeted Unamortaim
Are
new dialects pushing official languages to extinction ?
In our globalized world, transactions are not only economic but also
cultural. The idea of the “melting pot” entails the interweaving of habits, including the way people speak. Many new
languages have recently emerged such as “franglish” and
“portuñol”, but none is as widely used as Spanglish. This
linguistic halfway house is taught at the University of Massachusetts
and even has its official day in Oregon. For those who appreciate the
great classics, Don Quichotte has even been translated into
Spanglish.
For many Hispanic Americans, speaking Spanglish is a way to show
pride in their origins. And for recent immigrants, it’s a way to
make their integration easier by learning English words step by step.
English remains the official language in many American states, and
even if Spanglish allows for easier integration of Mexican migrants,
they still have to master proper English to become American citizens.
Thus Spanglish shouldn’t been seen as a goal but as a springboard
to becoming American. However linguistic issues often lead to
controversies. The strictest defenders of official languages are
scared of Spanglish’s growing influence and its increasing
legitimacy as a recognized language. Even worse, they fear losing the
integrity and the purity of both English and Spanish. It would be a
bastardization. The Royal Spanish Academy clearly waged war on this
new dialect through a recent anti-Spanglish campaign entitled “There
is only one native language” where Spanglish speakers are
blamed for incorporating foreign terms in Spanish.
Latinos now represent more than 17% of the US population, and this
number is expected to grow by 1 million annually. Among them, illegal
immigrants cross the Mexican border to live the American dream. As
Donald Trump would say, these people are “Bad hombres!” Despite
what the President-elect thinks, American society is rooted in ethnic
mixing. All across the world, cultural transnationalism is growing.
Perhaps one day soon linguistic hybrids like Spanglish will become
the norm.
Claire Peters & Jeanne Schied
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