Spanglish

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A blend of Spanish and English used in speech and writing, incorporating elements and vocabulary from both languages; a hybrid linguistic form arising in bilingual communities; informal communication mixing two distinct language systems
2. A mixed language combining aspects of English and Spanish in everyday interaction; a colloquial mode combining vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from both tongues; a hybrid vernacular common among bilingual speakers
3. The intermingling of Spanish and English linguistic features within conversation or text; a fusion language emerging from cultural and linguistic exchange; a spontaneous blend of two languages creating a unique mode of expression

Etymology: "Spanglish" is a blend of "Spanish" and "English," combining the first part of one word with the last part of the other's neighbor in sound and form, so that the result carries the sense of a mixture of the two languages. The construction follows the pattern of earlier blends such as "Franglais" (French and English), and the word names the hybrid speech that forms when Spanish and English speakers live and talk side by side. The term describes a mixed language rather than a single fixed dialect. Speakers move between the two languages within a sentence or even a phrase, borrowing English words into Spanish and Spanish words into English, a practice linguists call code-switching. Because the blend is itself a coinage made from two ordinary words, the name explains its subject as directly as possible: the two languages, fused into one label.

Synonyms: Spanglish

Antonyms: English, Spanish