Hispanicisms in English
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[edit] Language interferences: hispanicisms in English
For a number of historical, political and cultural reasons the problem of Spanish interference into English (hispanicisms) is much less severe than that of anglicisms into Spanish. Nevertheless, hispanicisms in English are very notable in certain areas of the United States, such as the U.S.-Mexican border, Southern Florida, and certain neighborhoods of large cities in the Northeast. It also poses a problem for the person whose first language is Spanish and who lives or works in an environment where English is the dominant language. An excessive use of hispanicisms by such a person tends to make him or her seem foreign and may have unfortunate side effects such as discrimination or limitations in job or social possibilities. The speaking of "Spanglish" is not viewed kindly by academics, supervisors and language purists in either English or Spanish.
This is not to imply that hispanicisms (or anglicisms) should be seen as negative. They can enrich a target culture by means of linguistic resources imported from a source culture. This aspect is especially valuable and justified when the transfer is at the lexical level and is tied to an object or category which does not exist in the target culture. Over the centuries Spanish has made many lexical contributions to English, and continues to do so. Some of these contributions have been directly from Spanish words, and in other cases Spanish has served as the conduit for words which originated in other languages with a special relationship to Spanish, such as Arabic and the Indian languages of the New World. Things and customs which originated in the Spanish-speaking world, (such as bullfighting, typical dances, special foods) are also obvious generators of hispanicisms in English. Some words have special historical significance, such as "guerrilla" (the word used by Napoleon's forces to describe the way the Spanish fought in the Peninsular War), or the term "fifth column" which as "quinta columna" was used by a Spanish Civil War general to label his covert supporters in Madrid as he laid siege to it. Many geographic place names in the United States have Spanish origins as a legacy of the time when these regions were under Spanish or Mexican control, or as indicators that Hispanic explorers passed that way. Pei notes, for example that three dangerous rocks on the Alaskan coast bear the names Abreojo, Alárgate, and Quita Sueño.[1]
Hispanicisms are also very evident in the language of expatriate English-speaking persons living in a Spanish-speaking nation. A prime example is the Anglo community residing in several South American nations, most notably Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. These individuals are now up to fourth and fifth generation citizens of their country of residence, but maintain British customs and speak an English that has become hispanicized to some degree at both the lexical and syntactic level. There is also a sub-language (frequently used for humorous effect) which deliberately exaggerates the hispanicisms to the point where the English is difficult for an outsider to understand. For many years the Buenos Aires Herald ran a regular column in which a fictitious character "Ramón" wrote a series of letters in this style.[2]. Here is an excerpt from the collection of columns, which were published as a book in 1979; note from the fourth paragraph that "Ramón" studied to be a "traducer" (i.e. translator):
I supplicate you that you pass of high so much discourtesy of my part for not writing these past four months.
What passed was that I had planned to go to that one in person and because of that I desisted. It had the object my visit to see if I could accommodate myself in some ministry or gobernation after they happened the events that are of public domination.
But in vespers of absenting myself there writes me a friend of the faculty to tell me that my voyage would be to the divine button because the things have not changed themselves nothing: the milics have copated themselves everything.
As you can wait, I felt myself disillusioned, because I give myself count that this life of camp doesn't fall me well, and of commerce I do not want to occupy myself. For me, who coursed three years of studies of public traducer there should exist entry into the official life. With the patience of always, I will wait.
By disgrace I have had to occupy myself more to depth with the matters of the cows. Disgracefully the past week, he died himself the capataz. He had 78 and was born, created himself and worked here all one life. They received sepulture his rests here on the proper estancia. ... For the rest, the things go as always. The old one has reposed himself of the broken leg and is occupying himself newly of the things. But he and Ramoncito don't see each other well. The old one doesn't tolerate the discs of the Beatles and the long hair of Ramoncito, and when he is not feeling too good he arms the great one. Esther dedicates herself to assure the tranquility of the house. Of passing, she asks that I send you her salutes to the which I aggregate a great embrace from your friend. RAMON.
[edit] "Back-translating" Hispanicisms in English
To illustrate the significance of hispanicisms in English, we will "back-translate" Ramon's letter into the Spanish in which he conceived the letter. Notice how the "English" really is almost a word-for-word transliteration from Spanish, complete with lexical and syntactical hispanicisms. Some of Ramon's writing also includes Argentine slang expressions or words, which are listed here to avoid confusion:
al divino botón = useless
los milicos = the military
se han copado= have grabbed
los asuntos de las vacas = the matters dealing with cattle
el viejo = the father, the old man
no se ven bien = don't see eye to eye
se arma la grande = there is a big fuss
Le suplico que pases por alto la gran descortesía por mi parte al no escribir estos últimos cuatro meses.
Lo que pasó es que había planeado ir en persona y por eso desistí. Tenía el objeto mi visita de ver si me podía acomodar en algún ministerio o gobernación después de que ocurrieron los eventos que son de dominio público.
Pero en vísperas de ausentarme me escribe un amigo de la facultad para decirme que mi viaje sería al divino botón porque las cosas no se han cambiado en nada: los milicos se han copado todo para ellos mismos.
Como puedes esperar, me sentí desilusionado, porque me di cuenta que esta vida de campo no me cae bien, y de comercio no me quiero ocupar. Para mí, que cursé tres años de estudios de traductor público, debería existir entrada en la vida oficial. Con la paciencia de siempre, esperaré.
Por desgracia he tenido que ocuparme más a fondo con los asuntos de las vacas. Desgraciadamente la semana pasada, se murió el capataz. Tenía 78 y nació, se crió y trabajó aquí toda una vida. Sus restos recibieron sepultura aquí en la propia estancia. ...
Por lo demás, todo va como siempre. El viejo se ha repuesto de la pierna rota y se está ocupando nuevamente de las cosas. Pero él y Ramoncito no se ven bien. El viejo no aguanta los discos de los Beatles y el pelo largo de Ramoncito, y cuando no se siente muy bien se arma la grande. Esther se dedica a asegurar la tranquilidad de la casa. De paso, me pide que te mande su saludo, a lo cual le agrego un gran abrazo de tu amigo. RAMON.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Pei, Mario, What's in a Word? N.Y.: Hawthorn Books, 1968, p. 76
- ^ Basil Thompson, Ramón Writes. Buenos Aires: The Buenos Aires Herald, 1979
[edit] References
Child, Jack. Introduction to Spanish Translation. Lanham: University Press of America, 1992.
Larson, Mildred. Meaning-Based Translation. Lanham: University Press of America, 1984.
Nida, Eugene A. Language, Structure and Translation. Stanford: Stanford University Press,1975.
Vázquez-Ayora, Gerardo. Introducción a la Traductología. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 1977.
