The Myths and Facts of South Texas Spanish Final Version (2)

7/30/2019 The Myths and Facts of South Texas Spanish Final Version (2)

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MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT SOUTH TEXAS SPANISH

Dr. Lino Garca,Jr.

Throughout the decades, this author has been subjected to a varietyand multiple miss-interpretations of South Texas Spanish , a term I

enjoy and accept to describe, to understand, and to value the

splendid use of the Spanish language by valley residents . Terms

which I deem demeaning and designed to ridicule, as well as to

devalue South Texas Spanish are: Tex-Mex, Pocho, Border Spanish,

and Spanglish, none of which truly explains the linguistic phenomena

that is close to the reality of this language first brought here by a crewof Spanish soldiers who landed on Texas soil on November 6, 1528.

Before I venture into a more detailed essay, kindly allow me to

state a few facts related to any language spoken in this world we all

inhabit.

First of all no language presently in use is devoid of intrusion by

other languages, all suffer from the same mixture caused byinvasions, by the mingling of cultures, and of the genes between

humans that have occurred since the beginning of time. Thus, take

away all the Greek, Latin, French, German words out of the present

English language, and what we have left is words from the Anglo-

Saxon linguistic trail. Since time has cemented the use of these words

loaned to the English language, no one bothers to call it anything else

but: English.


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The Spanish language was first developed in Spain from thecommon use of ordinary Latin spoken by the multitude, as opposed to

the Classical Latin, spoken by the learned. This emerging Spanish,

which occurred during the 10th

. century A.D. , was also invaded by the

Greek, Visigoth, Celtic, Hebrew, Basque, and Arabic languages as

these groups also made their way into Spain, and thus what we now

have is really a mixture of various languages brought to Spain before

and during the Middle Ages when different ethnic groups penetratedthe Iberian Peninsula B.C. and A. D. , with Latin being the

predominant source . The Spanish language spoken in Spain during

the time of the conquest and colonization of America in the 16th

.

century is what was brought to South Texas and other areas where

this language is spoken. In this area we can still hear remnants of

certain words that formed part of 16th

. century Spanish lexicon ,

words that did not suffered certain evolutionary steps. They are

archaic words long since disappeared, however, some still creep into

normal Spanish conversation: such as: vide> vi ; ansina>as;

truje>traje; muncho>mucho; and others. In certain areas of South

Texas where Hispanic individuals of long generational standing reside

we also sometimes hear certain Spanish sounds similar to ones still

used in Spain. The reason is that while certain linguistic evolution

occurred in the Spanish language in other parts of the world, it took a

long time arriving here.

Myth: residents of South Texas speak a non- acceptable language that

is not at all close to the real Spanish, especially one called Castilian


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Spanish that is spoken in Spain. They are not truly bi-lingual because

many do not know the grammar or how to properly write the Spanish

language.

Fact: Random College Dictionary states ( page 135) : bilingual: .. able

to speak two languages..; and nothing is said about writing the

language nor knowledge of grammar. Furthermore, all Spanish spokenanywhere in the world is standard Spanish and should be accepted as

such. Secondly there is no such linguistic activity known as Castilian

Spanish. It is purely an invention by individuals who sometimes lacked

real knowledge of the Spanish language, and are prone to consider it

more elegant than the Spanish spoken in the Americas. Obviously and

due to locations far from the mother language, and influence by other

languages, regions have developed regional words spoken or use onlyin certain areas or parts of the world, and that via time have become

part of ordinary standard Spanish. This linguistic phenomena is true

of all languages, and can also be applied to the English spoken in

England, in the south, in New York, and in South Texas , and all have a

regional usage, a sort of variety peculiar to the area. In fact, via many

years of living In this area, and being sensitive to the use of languages,

I have noticed a certain Spanish rhythm sometimes applied to the

English used here by non-Hispanics. Simply living in an environment

where Spanish is all around impacts the English language also. Does

that make English any different from other parts, and should we call it

anything else but English ? Absolutely NOT ! Both the English and


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Spanish languages are traveling via a normal linguistic patterns strictly

established by users everywhere in the world since the beginning of

time

Myth: all Hispanics in the Southwest USA speak what some

individuals call Tex-Mex or Spanglish. Some people, especially those

who have little knowledge of Spanish make this illogical, miss-Informed , and totally negative assumption and nothing is farther

from the truth.

Fact: in South Texas there are various levels of Spanish linguistic

abilities, similar to any other language spoken in the world. The

Spanish spoken in South Texas is mostly a speaking/comprehension

ability, since there are few occasions to write anything in Spanish; and

the speaking /comprehension component is done at various levels of

performance reflecting the persons level of education, awareness,

and immersion. Thus, one can meet someone with a high level, a

middle or a low level of speaking Spanish. Other levels include

individuals who possess all abilities , again at different levels of

performance such as : comprehension, reading, and writing abilities.

Throughout the years I have taught countless classes in SpanishComposition and Grammar at UTPA to a great number of South Texas

students, the great percentage of whom have succeeded, and have

shown excellent ability to write decent paragraphs, and long essays in

the standard Spanish. In fact I have compared some of our M.A. thesis


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to several written in Spains universities, and I have found that ourUTPA students do well or above expectations using the Spanish

language. Having been born and raised in South Texas, I also count

myself as having written both my M.A. thesis at the University of

North Texas, and my Ph.D dissertation at Tulane University, both

works entirely in Spanish, and accepted by eminent professors at

these highly respected institutions of higher learning.

Myth: some South Texas parents of Hispanic origin want their

children to learn Spanish first and then English as a second language.

Fact: not so! The majority of people who have school age children are

demanding that their children be taught the language of the USA as

the primary language. Reason ? Gone are the days when Hispanic

parents merely dreamed of having their sons and daughters finish

high school. 21st. century Hispanic parents are demanding that theirchildren be well prepared for professions as teachers, medical

doctors, specialists, attorneys, engineers, pharmacists, and other high

paying professions, and these same parents know and understand

fully that a perfect knowledge of the English language is essential for a

successful professional life in the USA. One would demand the same

were we living in France, as knowledge of the French language is then

essential for success in that country. However, knowledge of the

Spanish language, especially in South Texas, is of the upmost

importance and highly necessary. One can achieve both, if schools

impart them at an early age in the students academic life.


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Myth: we should teach only an acceptable Spanish that reflects whatis spoken in Spain and other countries where the real Spanish is used.

Fact: there is no real or acceptable good Spanish. We can only hope

to approach a certain level of excellence, due to the fact that the

everyday struggles of language usage insists that we attain a certain

level of acceptability depending always on the situation at hand , on

how we deal with the give and take of language, and of being true to

certain models offered to us as linguistic guides. All is standard

Spanish with various tinges of regional words, phrases, and

intonations developed via many years of contact with other cultures.

Every language known has traveled via this historical road for

centuries. Lets accept what the student brings to the classroom, built

on that linguistic ability, develop it, and teach various levels of

language abilities, depending on the situation that the student will

meet along his/her path. Prepare the student for all eventualities in

his/her encounters with life, but never diminishing any aspect or level

of any language that is already built into the students repertoire.

Myth: only Hispanic individuals speak openly the Spanish language.

Fact: not so ! Many non-Hispanics of long generational status ,

especially in South Texas, openly and proudly speak Spanish at alllevels. This was particularly true around 1825 and after when the

authorities in Mexican controlled Texas invited northerners to settle

in this state by offering them four thousand acres of land to bring

their families, with the provision that all learn and speak the Spanish


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language. The empresario Esteban F. Austin himself not only spoke

Spanish fluently, and signed his name as Esteban, but insisted that all

of his colonists that he brought into this state in 1824 learn the

Spanish language as essential for living in Texas. Thus, the historical

circle has met its point of origin, since Hispanics are poised to become

an eminent force in the social, cultural, and political arenas during the

21st

. century, they will bring to its fruition a true , an essential, and

proud bilingual society, where both the English and Spanish languages

are equally given the status they both deserve.

Proceed !

Brownsville native Dr. Lino Garca,Jr., is an 8th

. generation Tejano. He

holds the chair of Professor Emeritus of Spanish Literature at UTPA

and can be reached at :[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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The Myths and Facts of South Texas Spanish Final Version (2)