Spanglish In Pop Culture

     Throughout the world, there are a variety of languages and dialects that are used interchangeably with other languages and dialects; one of these examples is the use of Spanglish. The use of Spanglish can be dated back to the middle of the 19th century, when the US went to war with Mexico. Eventually Mexico surrendered and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. In result of this, Mexico lost half its territory to the United States, and the Mexican settlers that were already in the US automatically became citizens. This resulted in many more settlers into the US; with the Mexican settlers learning English, and the US settlers learning Spanish. 

     Spanish and English came crashing headlong into contact with one another, and this is what started Spanglish to take form. Spanglish is a hybrid language combining words and idioms from both Spanish and English. With 53 million Latinos living in the country, 59% of them are bilingual. It is a resourceful creation used by many Latino communities who share a bilingual and bicultural world. In many of these communities, residents may speak a range of languages that include formal and informal varieties of Spanish and English. Spanglish as well isn't exclusive to just the United States, but also to the rest of the Spanish speaking world as in other parts of the globe. There are also varieties of Spanglish - with using different patterns and forms. Spanglish is not a pidgin though - which is a grammatically simplified form of a language. As Spanglish can be the primary speech form for some individuals, there is a variety of Spanish with the heavy use of English.

Code-switching: Borrowing words from other languages

     While Spanglish would appear to be messy and chaotic, it is the result of the linguistic process that are common in language contact situations that include borrowing, code mixing, and creating calques. One of the many forms and patterns that is very prevalent in Spanglish is Code-Switching. This occurs when a Spanglish user alternates in a single sentence between Spanish and English. This is an automatic and simultaneous translation, where Spanglish users might use Spanish words exclusively, but follows an English-language mode. The use of this code-switching is generally for bilingual speakers sometimes to switch between two languages in order to sustain their interaction when there is a loss for words. The mixing of Spanish and English can occur at the word, clause, or sentence level. It can be used to gap in the vocabulary, lack of education, improper control of language, and the overall lack of proficiency in one or both of the languages. 

          Spanglish is still thriving in today's world. While there is much criticism about the use of Spanglish as a language, the younger generation especially have appropriated Spanglish as a positive signifier to refer to one of the communities innovative ways of speaking and communicating. This is shown as their becomes a major presence in Latin music. Latin music, with modern artists like
Pitbull, Prince Royce, and Enrique Iglesias, has become such a strong factor in the Spanglish community. Enrique Iglesias came out in 2014 with his popular song "Bailando", originally in Spanish and then coming out shortly afterwards with an English version, that includes the sort of Spanglish text. During the chorus, he sings "I wanna be contigo / And live contigo, and dance contigo". While he is using English for the primary portion of the song, he also adds the Spanish word "contigo" in this small section to find a word that fits the Spanish portion. 

How Did "Bailando" Become A Spanglish Crossover Hit?

     Spanglish has transitioned to such popularity throughout the past century, and it has integrated itself into popular culture that people that might not know Spanish, would try and sing along to the songs or at least appreciate the art that artists create. It has become so integrated into society, that it has become such a significant aspect of American culture.