Spanglish (1988) is an essay written by a collaboration of authors: Janice Castro, Dan Cook, and Cristina Garcia. In Spanglish, the authors define the now free-form blend of Spanish/English used today in American culture. Within the first paragraph there is examples give of how this has become a routine part of life for most people. Like a billboard announcing “CERVEZA – SIX PACK!” Spanglish has become ‘as much a part of daily life as sunglasses’ (10). The authors continue to develop theses ideas throughout the essay, giving numerous examples to support this budding language phenomenon. I feel like the author’s purpose is not to argue for or against Spanglish, but more to inform. I see this essay as a light hearted look at society as is stands today, with a mass influx of Spanish speaking people in America resulting in the diverse culture and language we are all a part of. Also, being written for TIME magazine, I would guess at a wide audience, with any one from Average-Joe to Wall Street picking up their magazine.
From my perspective I find this very interesting, as it is so reflective of my everyday life. Being an international student and playing Soccer at Clayton State, we naturally have many people of different nationalities, races, and of course languages. On a daily basis I will converse in Spanish, or Spanglish, English, French and Afrikaans. So my immediate thought about this essay is that I agree entirely, understanding not only where the authors are coming from, but experiencing it myself on a daily basis.
From my perspective I find this very interesting, as it is so reflective of my everyday life. Being an international student and playing Soccer at Clayton State, we naturally have many people of different nationalities, races, and of course languages. On a daily basis I will converse in Spanish, or Spanglish, English, French and Afrikaans. So my immediate thought about this essay is that I agree entirely, understanding not only where the authors are coming from, but experiencing it myself on a daily basis.
Sub-consciously I feel the paper says more than just Spanglish. It is asking us to recognize the fact that todays America is a truly multi-cultural America, with Spanglish representative of not only Spanish speaking and English speaking cultures, but all cultures mixing and inter-mingling. ‘Spanglish is a sort of code for Latinos: the speakers know Spanish, but their hybrid language reflects the American culture in which they live’. This sums my point up perfectly, and I feel represents the essay well as a whole. It shows the heritage of a culture, but also the two-way acceptance of America/ Spansih and Spanish/American.
Rhys Jukes
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