Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, también conocido como Bad Bunny, has become a major— if not the most— influential celebrity in all of Latin American culture. His music, which is in Spanish with the appearance of English as a guest star, is a concoction that leads to what linguists termed Spanglish. According to Dr. Estes, Professor at Monmouth University, linguists promote the acceptance of all languages and the dialects that derive from these lenguas que, at the end of the day, also follow rules in lexicon, orthography, phonology, et cetera (Estes). Pero aunque linguists have been adamant that dialects like Black English and Spanglish are not uneducated or incorrect, many have stigmatized these forms of communication, and belittled their existence. Hence, the continuous research in espanglish is of utmost importance in debunking these myths among la gente.
According to Suprunov and their colleagues, Spanglish is a result of the Mexican-American War of 1846, when the Spanish speakers in the lower states of the United States were now part of said country (Suprunov 1). The large Hispanic population that continues to immigrate into the United States, from diferentes paises, is what leads to espanglish y otras variaciones of the same language. They are also adamant that espanglish is not the language of the poor or illiterate, but that it is also spoken by all social classes and by the poor and rich, like politicians, musicians, in social media, and other communications alike (Suprunov 2-5).
Bad Bunny’s usage of Spanglish can help destigmatize the language, as his audience is extremely large and reaches those of any caste or class equally. According to Zapf, entertainment can bring up the subject of language identity and bilingual performance (Zapf 25). Esto es importante porque via these celebrities que utilizan la música como medio de comunicación one can foster respect and acceptance for Spanglish. Oftentimes Spanglish speakers have been pushed out of the entertainment field; they are sidekicks, backdrops, or simply out of the conversation regarding entertainment. However, Zapft overall states that art and language intersect, connect, and overlap, which is exactly what I attempt to communicate via this blog (Zapf). Bad Bunny’s art is tightly knit to language, which fosters a respect and pride for the skills that it takes to code switch, among other Spanglish rules. Despite the rules in the Spanish language that oftentimes frown upon code switching, Bad Bunny states, “It makes me really proud to get to this level by speaking in Spanish, and not only in Spanish, in the Spanish we speak in Puerto Rico, without changing my accent,” (Biography). It is known that Puerto Ricans are pioneers of the Spanglish language, while being proud of their native heritage.
It is important to note that Bad Bunny does not only promote Spanglish among Latin Americans but also a wider acceptance for the LGBTQ community and nongendered attributes. In the photo provided, he wears a plethora of jewelry that is seen as too feminine for a Hispanic man. Once at a concert, he wore a shirt that said “Mataron a Alexa, no a un hombre con una falda” paying tribute to Alexa, a murdered transgender woman. He is quoted saying, “I never felt as masculine as I did the day I dressed up like a drag queen," (Biography) challenging every notion of what it means to be a man in Latinamerica.
Bad Bunny via Biography wearing nonbinary fashion.
Despite the backlash he receives for his LGBTQ+ and other social movement support, he continues to be a beacon of guidance for Spanglish speakers of the newer generation, who are also rejecting these conservative values. Hence, it is vital to assume that language, culture and entertainment are tightly knit and impact one another, as Bad Bunny’s usage of Spanglish impacts Latinamerican culture.
