I woke up this morning to what sounded like someone was trying to rip through my ceiling and join me in bed.
When I was sixteen years old I moved to Northern Ohio to unionize migrant farm workers (with FLOC). It was in Northern Ohio that I first heard of and met people from El Valle (The Valley). It was in Northern Ohio that I also first heard people speak Spanglish. And while I speak both Spanish and English fluently I do not speak Spanglish as people in the Valley do. Spanglish in the valley has its own semantics its own rules it isn’t just use Spanish or English when you want there is order to it (any linguists out there who can explain this better than I can?).
When coming back from Northern Ohio to visit my mother in Central Ohio, I said something to my mother about closing the window. I said it in Spanglish. My mother went to slap me, I dodged. “In this house you either speak English or Spanish, you do not mix the two.” To her it was a matter of education and class level. Those who speak Spanglish were uneducated and could not speak either well and therefore butchered both…that was her view.
Recently, my mother made a comment about how she was going to have some work done on the house “Elenamary, will you be home? I need you to be home to let the rooferos into the garage.” I looked at her blankly “The what?” without a moments hesitation she said “The rooferos.” “What are rooferos?” I still had no clue what she was talking about. “You know the rueee-feerrrrr-os. The Mexicans who fix the roof!”
I laughed. Ahh my mother in the process of Chicanization and she doesn’t even know it.
So this morning after a brief fright that someone was ripping open the ceiling I put my head back on my pillow and let out a sigh of relief it was just the rooferos.
That’s so funny that you brought up the Spanglish thing… I just had an incident like that over the weekend with my niece. I try to avoid using Spanglish but every now and then I slip up. Usually it’s with someone that doesn’t speak both of the languages and I sound crazy!
Anyway, here is the link to my blog post from the weekend, you can probably realte:
http://dcnatswin.blogspot.com/2005/09/spanglish.html
I don’t quite understand why Spanglish is so looked down upon. My gente is from El Valle, and although, yes, the majority of the folks there are “uneducated”, meaning they only have a high school education, that is the culture that is down there. Like Anzaldua discribes of her beloved valley, it’s a borderlands that’s neither American nor Mexican. It’s a different world, and until people start recognizing that the folks that live on the border of Texas and other states are entirely detached from the way of life that Mexicans nationals live or the way “Americans” should live, maybe we can start helping those regions. Those regions, much like most of our Mexican-American culture, de-values (I’ve had talks with HP on this) education. This isn’t anyone’s fault, but that’s why the cycle continues and my people get “roofero” gigs. It’s not something to laugh about or something to look down upon. If it wasn’t for Mexicans–hard working Mexicans that clean, cook, and take care of the rest this country–we wouldn’t have a lot of the comforts we all take advantage of.
I seriously doubt that only Mexicans speak the uneducated language that is Spanglish, but Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans, etc., utilize it because it’s the way of life, the coming together of the two cultures under one.It’s used by the younger generation more than the older generation and it’s wa way of adding more important emphasis to expression. So, if Spanglish bring people together and makes them feel more at ease with who they are–why the hate?
Why relegate Spanglish to “Mexicans”?
It confuses me, kinda disgusts me to, that within our gente there’s this kind of way of thinking.
Joel,
That was a great story.
EMC,
My specialization in my Spanish degree is linguistics and yet I feel like I know little about linguistics. Go OSU *sarcasm*. Anyway, Espanglish was something I briefly studied and it is funny but Newyorican, Lorrainorican (Loraine Ohio), Valley, versions of Espanglish are all different, with different “amounts” of Spanish and English words used, different grammer words, word order. It is kind of neat. I wish I could find a website that discusses it.
haber que puede decirles el Ethnic Studies grad student. well, Spanglish is my language, its true Elena Mary, it has it’s own grammar, but this grammar varies considerably from region to region. Most people that speak two languages fluently (or not) mix them, including Spanish.
Haber, what does this mixing mean? it doesn’t mean one is not educated, but maybe, well verse in his/her reality. I mix it all the time, not for style, but because that’s more natural to me. with some homegirls/homeboys it just comes out. when i’m in academia, i have to make an effort not to mix languages.
but it is true, Spanglish stands for defiance. we refuse to exist in an either/or reality. somos quien somos. i do not limit my identity to national boundaries, or even language.
i don’t agree with EMC’s coment that Spanglish is an “uneducated language,” and also that we do not value education. I’m sure a good number of Chicano/a maestros/as out there will tell you that parents do want their children to get an education. but even those that do not, we need to remember that not everyone wants to graducate from college, and that being a “roofero” mechanic or whatever has its dignity. yo siempre le digo a mis students, you have to find a profession that you feel happy about, el trabajo es digno.
peace
Agustin, I meant it with a little bit of sarcasm. I talk in Spanglish tambien, it’s my lenguaje when I speak with people that are bilingual (o mas!). My point was that Spanglish shouldn’t be looked down upon, but seen–as you said–as our own reality.
Elenita, you’re so right, I think the level of Spanglish varies by region and by ethnicity. But look at how many eubonic words have entered our American lexicon now. Soon, enough you’ll have Anglos speakin’ en espanol.
this is a great topic! This site has some great links (http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US8/SPAN/span.html) for background purposes.
Elenamary I can relate to your mom’s attitude about using “one or the other” because my mom was the same way, and for a while, her idea that Spanglish was for “pochos” influenced my viewpoint, so I always scoffed at friends who fused the languages together, and would always get mad at myself when I had to “resort” to it to get my point across. EMC-I think Spanglish is looked down upon partially because of these generational and cultural gaps, or to quote Mr. Smith, “Parents just don’t understand.” My mother didn’t grow up in bilingual Gringolandia, asi que it’s easier for her to think in one language at a time.
But as I grow older (and supposedly wiser :P ) I understand and agree that Spanglish is very much a valid form of expression and communication (not just in theory, but in practice. I catch myself using Spanglish more and more everyday,) and to think otherwise is bunk.
Furthermore, EMC is right, Spanglish is not limited to us Chicanos. Here in Puerto Rico, Spanglish words are very much the norm (I would even say more so, since I rarely hear negative attitudes about its use) and are included in everyday language, not just slang. Por ejemplo, “No hay parking” …Dame un break, que tengo alguien en la otra linia”…Que vamos hacer? Quieres janguear? (janguear is used to mean go out, party. From “hanging out”)
That’s funny, I’m from the valley, to be exact, from San Fernando, Califas. So, yes, I speak Spanglish, especially now that I’m trying to teach my boyfriend English, it’s a bad habit, I know.
take care
sorry emc if i sounded on the defensive. peace. love to you all. que cada quien hable como quiera, as long as we comunicate, and dialog about how to change the world (que corny).
I started thinking about the whole Mexican & Mexican-American topic when you mentioned Spanglish. Thanks to blogging I have learned that we (Mexican-Americans) are defined not only by our heritage, but by how we communicate to one another – Spanglish. I think we have the best of both worlds – Or is it three worlds? We can speak Spanish, English and Spanglish. Although it’s frowned upon I have no problem with adding my mix of Spanglish into a conversation. My favorite word is RITEH [sic] meaning to give someone a ride. The correct term in Spanish is AVENTON.
I met a guy last year when was working in the Files that told me he was a Hystero. I couldn’t figure out what that was. My old man told me he was a forklift driver. Hyster is a brand of forklift. That’s my favorite espanglish word.
Coming your way from Myke’s blog. I’m from Columbus Ohio…live in ATL now. Anyhow….just wanted to say hello.
linguistic dork in the house… as far as i’m concerned, spanglish is not a “bad” thing as long as it’s not occuring in the academic realm (if a kid hasn’t mastered either language, you need to make sure that they DO master one or both and aren’t using one language as a crutch.. so in my classroom, Spanglish is OUTLAWED! you gotta pick one!). the kind of codeswitching (alternating words/phrases between lgs) that results in spanglish is normal on a global scale and has nothing to do with education or propriety. it just seems special in the u.s. since speaking a language other than english usually gets you a “why do you hate america?” look from passersby.
my favorite espanglish words: gaiorai (Gatorade), lonche, and chetos (Cheetos).
hey elena mary, post another blog! what’s up?