Spanish and English
This website is neither in Spanish nor in English, but a mix of both. Although my native language is Spanish (with a Cadiz accent), I have spent most of my life using English for many things: professionally, with friends, for reading, and watching movies. At home, for various reasons, we use a mix of both. And far from seeing it as a problem, I see it as an advantage. That’s why I’ve decided to maintain that mix here. Both for my comments and for the content. Obviously, most of my comments will be in Spanish, my native language. But probably most of the content will be in English. I don’t know any other languages, so if I ever include content in other languages, it will be translated. What I write in English will really be in what is called “broken English”, the language spoken by Singapore port prostitutes and physicists at international conferences. I hope my Spanish is correct.
I know this repulses some people. They consider it an affront to the Spanish (or English) language. I know two places in the world where this mix is something natural and wonderful: for the Puerto Ricans of Puerto Rico and the Llanitos of Gibraltar. There are some places in the USA where people also use this wonderful mix (Miami, some neighborhoods in NYC). But only in Puerto Rico and Gibraltar is there an entire population that shares this bilingualism. In Spain, with so much discussion about the sovereignty of Gibraltar, the fence, etc., we haven’t paid the attention this wonderful combination deserves: an English with a perfect British accent and that Spanish with a Cadiz accent. Llanito is a display of cultural mixing that repulses some and delights me.
It’s not necessary to go to Gibraltar to enjoy this mix. There are many examples of Llanito on the web. I love this one, for example:
See these two Llanitos on Gibraltar television. Not far from how we sometimes speak in my kitchen.
The other place in the world where the population mixes both languages fluently is the Island of Puerto Rico. I had a Puerto Rican friend who used to say “vacunar la carpeta” (vacuum the carpet), or “tómatelo con take it easy”. I’ve been to Puerto Rico several times, on the beaches, in Old San Juan, at their San Sebastián festivals, and I’ve always enjoyed that wonderful combination of languages. For some, it’s a crime, and I respect their opinion. I have a good Puerto Rican friend who can hold a conversation in perfect and beautiful Spanish, without introducing a single word in English (a language he masters, of course). I adore his love for the Spanish language and the beauty with which he uses it, but it shouldn’t be an impediment for me to also enjoy the joyful and unreserved mix of natural bilingualism. Here you have a good example from Old San Juan.
They call it Spanglish. Here you have a humorous defense of Spanglish.
Watch on TikTok
There are many resources to translate texts when someone needs it. (This is the only page I will translate into both languages).
In short, I’m not going to hold back, and although I’m neither from Gibraltar nor Puerto Rico, I’m going to mix Spanish and English on this website without hesitation.
For the Llanitos and the Boricuas 🥂 🍾