The Mexican American Experience, a radio program produced by the Longhorn Radio Network, includes interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns. Program summary: Host Alejandro Saenz interviews Carmen Tafolla, a Chicana writer and educator, on various Spanish dialects and perceptions of Chicano Spanish speakers. Tafoya explains that Chicano Spanish is different from dialects because of its preservation of 16th century grammer and words. Moreover, it has borrowed many words from English to form a mixture of both languages. She notes that English in the Southwest has also borrowed many Spanish words. Chicano Spanish is very similar to Mexican Spanish and both have incorporated many Nahutl words. Tafolla also discusses Caló, the language spoken among pachucos. Caló, she explains, reflects the earliest realization that Chicanos are bicultural and as such is a mixture of both English and Spanish to create a new language. She notes that it bears some striking resemblances to the Caló spoken among the Gitanos in Spain. She concludes that despite what many Chicanos have been taught, Chicano Spanish is not inferior or bad to other forms of Spanish. She argues that it is better to realize that no language is good or bad, only that it is a means to understanding. Keywords: Accents, Acculturation, Aztecs, Biculturalism, Bronco, Caló, Castellano, Chicano Language, Chicano Spanish, Conquistador, Corral, Dialects, Don Quijote, Gitanos, Gypsy, Language Change, Latin America, Latin Americanism, Loan Words, Mexican Spanish, Nahuatl, Pachucos, Professional associations, Sixteenth Century Spanish, Spanglés, Spanish, Speaking Spanish in the Schools, Tex-Mex, The Roma, Transculturation, Vaquero. Broadcast date: 1977-08-12.
Creator/Contributor:
Longhorn Radio Network (creator), Saenz, Alejandro (host), and Tafolla, Carmen, 1951- .... (interviewee)
Date Created/Date Issued:
8/9/1977
Owning Repository:
Benson Latin American Collection, LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, The University of Texas at Austin
sound recordings, grabaciones sonoras, radio programs, programas de radio, and Audio
Extent:
14 minutes, 51 seconds
Rights - Use and Reproduction:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Language:
English
Place of Publication:
Austin (Tex.)
Topic:
Spanish language--Dialects, Spanish language--Foreign words and phrases--English, English language--Foreign words and phrases--Spanish, Caló dialect (Romani), Spanish language--Foreign elements--Romani, Inglés--Palabras y frases extranjeras--Español, and Dialecto caló