Spanglish

By Janice Castro

Pre-readingSome people think America should be an English-only country. For example they object to government tax forms or road signs in languages like Spanish or Chinese. What do you think, in terms of an outsider?What do you think if the Taiwanese government puts Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesian or simplified Chinese characterson the road signs and paper forms? Will you accept or object to it? Why? Do you think it necessary that we put English on the road signs and government paper forms?

In reading

1. Present participle (p. 2)A crackling line of cross cultural patter (p. 4)Sesame (p. 4)— an open sesameWhat other rhetorical strategies are used in this essay? Find examples. (hint: par. 1, 2, 4, & 9)

In reading

Find out the meaning of the following Spanish words:Rancho: meaningBronco: meaningTornado: meaningIncommunicado: meaning

In reading

Gracias: buenoamigopor favor

The Miller Lite: what is Miller Litegaffe and blunder:

Building Vocabulary

A. the study of languageB. arrangement of words into meaningful sentencesC. to make a quick succession of light, soft tapping soundsD. understood although not openly statedE. embarrassing mistake

Understanding the Writer’s Ideas

1. This is a free-form blend of Spanish and English known as Spanglish.2. From watching TV shows such as “Sesame Street” where children learn other languages, such as “uno, dos, tres”—

Understanding the Writer’s Ideas

3. Southern Californian Anglo; Cuban American from Miami, Florida; Spanish sentences that are mostly Spanish.4. It is easier, for example, to say “income tax” than the complicated Spanish expression, says a Florida language processor (par. 5)

Understanding the Writer’s Ideas

5. There are only 19 million Hispanics in the United States, but high school students choose mostly Spanish as their foreign language.6. A Spanish Miller Lite ad told readers that their drink was “less delicious” because the company misused a Spanish word.

Understanding the Writer’s Techniques

1. The thesis is that Spanglish is a hybrid language (Hispanic and English) that is becoming common in America.2. The title is an example of the essay’s thesis—it is an example of Spanglish itself!

Understanding the Writer’s Techniques

3. In par. 4, the term is defined: one part Hispanicized English, one part Americanized Spanish, and more than a little fractured syntax.

4. By referring to the million of American Anglos and Hispanics who use Spanglish, this essay convinces us of its thesis: Spanglish is becoming common. If statistics were not used, one would hardly be convinced that this is not a small isolated phenomenon.

Understanding the Writer’s Techniques

5. Par. 4 uses specific forms of Spanglish to illustrate its point; par. 9 shows the process that Latinos use to clip phrases; par. 2 contrasts broken English of early European immigrants to the accepted linguistic modes of Spanglish.

Understanding the Writer’s Techniques

6. Because the words in italics are not English or hybrid, setting them off warns the reader that this italicized word or phrase needs special attention because it is different from the rest of the text.

7. Given that most terms important to understanding the essay’s ideas are in English, this is mainly for an English-speaking audience and those who are not familiar with Spanglish.