Step into the vibrant linguistic world of Southern Florida, where a Spanish-infused dialect of English has blossomed over decades of immigration from Spanish-speaking countries, particularly Cuba since the revolution in 1959.
Miami, with its majority Hispanic and Latino population, proudly stands as one of the most bilingual cities in the US. In fact, it’s arguably the most dialectally diverse Spanish-speaking city in the world. Over the years, the Spanish language has intertwined with established American English dialects, giving birth to its own unique expressions and phrases.
At Florida International University in Miami, linguists have been closely observing this linguistic evolution for the past decade. They see it as a beautiful example of how human languages constantly adapt to historical and social conditions.
“Every word, dialect, and language has a history,” explains Professor Phillip M. Carter, Director of the Center for Humanities in an Urban Environment at Florida International University.
Miami English, the primary language variety of South Florida’s Latinx-majority communities, showcases some fascinating characteristics. It features minor pronunciations, grammatical differences, and word choices influenced by the enduring presence of Spanish in the region.
What does Miami English sound like?
In this new dialect, speakers “borrow” Spanish sayings and translate them directly into English while maintaining the Spanish structure of the phrase. Linguists refer to this as a calque.
For example, instead of saying “get out of the car” like most American English speakers, Miami English users would say “get down from the car” by translating the Spanish phrase “bajar del carro.”
Similarly, “una empanada de carne” becomes “meat empanada” rather than specifying “beef empanada.” This reflects the Spanish usage of “carne” to refer to all meat or specifically beef, depending on the context.
Another interesting feature is the tendency to say phrases like “Marco and I went to a bar and he invited me a beer” instead of “Marco and I went to a bar and he bought me a beer.” Additionally, people might say “We are going to make a party for my friend Maria” instead of “We are going to throw a party for my friend Maria.”
Miami English shows how languages evolve
While this Spanglish cocktail initially emerged from bilingual individuals, linguists have observed that native English speakers in Miami have also adopted certain phrases.
“These are examples of literal lexical calques – direct translations. What is remarkable about them is that we found they were not only used in the speech of immigrants – folks who are leaning on their first language Spanish as they navigate the acquisition of English – but also among their children, who learned English as their co-first language,” notes Professor Carter.
Unbeknownst to many, the English language is filled with calques. Professor Carter highlights the example of the flower known as a “dandelion,” which was borrowed from the French term “dent de lion.” This borrowing can be traced back to Latin botany books, where it was called “Dens lionis,” meaning “lion’s tooth.”
In 2022, Professor Carter and linguist Kristen D’Allessandro Merii conducted a study to document Spanish-origin calques in the English spoken in South Florida. They found that the dialect sounded “natural” to Miami residents but appeared significantly more foreign to people outside the region. This research demonstrates how dialects are born through subtle differences and minor changes that eventually make the dialect sound ungrammatical or unfamiliar to non-speakers.
Misconceptions about Miami English
Unfortunately, new dialects often face stigma, especially when they emerge from marginalized communities. People may criticize pronunciation or dismiss the dialect as sloppy speech. However, Professor Carter emphasizes that this stems from a misunderstanding of how human languages evolve into their diverse array of colors and tones.
“I want Miami English to shed its stigma because it is someone’s home language variety. It’s the language they learned from their parents, used in school, and hear in their community. It’s the language in which they developed their identity, friendships, and found love. Why should that be stigmatized?” questions Professor Carter.
“This principle applies to every language variety. There is no reason to stigmatize any form of human language. Doing so reflects our limited understanding of humanity and human language. All human language varieties reflect the miraculous interweaving of our evolutionary capacity for language with the unique historical and cultural circumstances in which that capacity finds context,” he concludes.
