Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Spanish? English? Spanglish!

"How did Spanglish come about?" is the question I have been asking myself for a while now. The first thing I noticed when hearing young people speak this new hybrid language is that it's spoken amongst native Spanish speakers, including those who were born in Latin America and immigrated to the United States (first generation), as well as those whose parents immigrated here and grew up with Spanish as their primary language (second generation).


It has become so popular, that even Facebook includes Spanglish as a language option. It is a new way of speaking that mixes English and Spanish -- a way to maintain ties with one's heritage while being part of the mainstream culture. What is interesting is that I have only heard Spanglish spoken in the United States but not in Mexico. The United States has had a history of blending cultures, and it has often been described as a melting pot, or a salad bowl.


There is no doubt that Spanglish is prevalent in Hispanic communities all over the United States, and there are different forms of it, if we consider the variances in Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican cultures. Spanglish is usually spoken when a young group (usually in their 20s) of Latin American descent come together in a social setting -- it becomes a new way to converse that is not possible with non-Spanish speakers. Ultimately, whether or not you speak Spanglish comes down to how you grew up, because not every bilingual Hispanic -- whether first or fifth generation -- speaks this hybrid language. Also, it does not make you any less Hispanic or more American if you choose not to to speak Spanglish.


My parents were born in Mexico, although my mom spent most of her childhood in Chicago. When I was growing up, my parents spoke to me in Spanish, and I would either respond in English or Spanish, but I'd never mix the two. I was raised with both languages, and when I speak to my Dad and Grandpa it's in Spanish, but when I am with my siblings we speak English. With my mom, it changes quite frequently, particularly because she's a Court Interpreter and knows both languages perfectly.

I speak Spanish at home to practice and because I enjoy the language, but with my Hispanic and non-Hispanic friends, English is the way I go. I never spoke in Spanglish to my parents, unless there was a word I couldn't think of in Spanish -- it wasn't something I did on purpose. I prefer to speak one or the other, but lately I have been noticing once in a while I will say "Hey chica," "Guapa," or little sayings amongst close friends (even ones from non-Hispanic backgrounds). I guess it just depends on who you're with and where you're at.

Monica Ramos, student at the University of California San Diego who grew up with Spanglish, says, "I think it happens when two cultures join together. In my case, my parents are Mexican and I was born here. When speaking Spanish at home and going to an English-speaking school, a mixture of languages happens with my friends who are Hispanic...we end up speaking Spanglish." Not only are two cultures merging, but it is a new form of "colloquialism or slang," adds Ramos.

According to Jamie Lytle, student at the University of California Riverside, from a non-Hispanic background, "I think it is everyone's choice and it's okay to do it with friends, as long as it is not with an elder." So, is Spanglish really a language? Can it vary depending on the circumstances? It is whatever you make it out to be, and although the controversy over whether Spanglish should be accepted or not will remain, it's almost inevitable that it will come out when you have a young group of English-Spanish bilinguals in the room.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

La importancia de ser bilingue

En el mundo diverso que vivimos, hay una necesidad de saber mas de una idoma. O por lo menos, el poder te tener una conversación en otro idoma a lado de tu lengua materna. En los Estados Unidos por ejemplo, la lengua español ya es la segunda lengua común, y en unas partes ya es la lengua mas hablado. El poder de saber otra idioma te ayuda tener relaciones internacionales y te ayuda cuando tienes una carrera. Por cierto, en unos trabajos es obligatorio saber otra idoma. Siempre vas a encontrar alguien que no domina el inglés por ejemplo, y cuando estas en un trabajo profesional se ve mejor si éstas hablando en otra idioma que dominas.

En mi caso, yo crecí con inglés y español, pero cuando era más joven yo no encontraba la importancia de la lengua español. También tenía una costumbre que cuando mis padres or abuelos me hablaron en español, yo les contestaba en inglés. Quizas era porque no me sentía comoda hablar en español (especialemente si no lo dominaba excellente). En cualquier caso, era joven y todavía estaba aprendiendo de la vida. 

No era hasta que empeze la secundaria cuando encontré la importancia de saber otro idioma porque a veces tenía la oportunidad de ayudar alguien interpretar. El punto cuando empece estar enamorada con saber mas de una idoma era cuando estudié en España por un año en la universidad. Por diferentes razones, pero la mayoría era porque era la unica lengua que podía hablar, y también porque ayudé mis compañeros de piso (apartamento) con el inglés. Sabía que si yo podía ayudar personas con el inglés y si continuaba practicar el español, las posibilidades son infinitas. 

Al final, cuando uno es bilingue, tiene una ventaja en comparación con alguien que no sabe otra idoma. La oportunidad de aprender el español siempre estaba conmigo, pero para alguien que no tiene la oportunidad les consejo que aprende, y si vives con gente que habla otra idioma, ¿qué estás esperando? No importa cual lengua es, la única cosa es que te debe fascinar y estar en tu mente que puedes tener esa ventaja. En un país como los Estados Unidos, no solo se celebra la cultura de dónde eres, pero también se celebra las lenguas de otros países. La lengua para hablar, disfrutar, y la herramienta que te va ayudar por toda tu vida!