Frespañol
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2016) |
Frespañolorfrespagnol(also known asfrañolorfragnol) is aportmanteauof the wordsfrançais(orfrancésin Spanish) andespañol,which meanFrenchandSpanishmixed together,usually in informal settings. This example of code-switching is a mixture between French and Spanish, almost always in speech, but may be used in writing occasionally.[1]Spanish and French areRomance languagesand share similarities in morphology and syntax.
Suchcode-switchingmay be used or has been used in places where both languages meet, for examplein Equatorial Guinea,amongHaitians in the Dominican Republic,by first-generationSpaniards in France,orLatin American communityinMontreal,Canada. This code-switching has historical and current presence in North, Central and South America.
Historically, theIsleños in Louisianawere also exposed to and accustomed to living with both languages, as were numerousFrench emigrant communitiesacross Latin America (e.g.French ArgentinesandFrench Costa Ricans), whose descendants have overwhelminglyadopted Spanish.
DuringWorld War IImanyFrenchimmigrantcommunities flourished in theAmericas,maintaining frañol a historically and currently observable example of code-switching inEnglish,Spanish, and French-speaking countries[citation needed].
Uses and calques
[edit]Frespañol forms part of a structure of sociolinguistics, it is a social and cultural code born from the contact of French and Spanish speakers. In its early days, the Frespañol was used in individual form meaning there was no set form to follow, everyone used their own variant of it. Now, it is more commonly used amongst the first generation of immigrants who use it more so when speaking Spanish. Calques are introduced by bilinguals, switching from one language to another, words are borrowed. For example, in this phrase in French "Je m'assome à la fenêtre” we see the Spanish word "asomarse" adapting to the sentence. These code changes are adapted to the context of the speaker.[2]Some ways that the two languages are implemented together is sometimes minute. Looking through the chart, The word for cake inFragnol,gató, is predominately French based such as other words listed. But, the thing that makes it more in tune with Spanish is the uses of the accents and the stress when pronouncing the word. Some other words, such asdèpanor,are also more alike to the French word for store, but the ending or pronunciation of the words can go through a morphological change and have more Spanish tones and pronunciations, or vice versa.
English word | French word | Spanish word | Fragnol |
---|---|---|---|
Insurance | Assurance | Seguro | Asségourance |
Unemployment | Chômage | Paro | Tchomás |
Slippers | Pantoufle | Pantuflas | Pantúnflas |
Mrs. | Madame | Señora | Madán |
Peas | Petits pois | Guisantes | Petipuás |
Backpack | Sac-à-dos | Mochila | Sacodó |
Cake | Gâteau | Pastel | Gató |
Galician Pie | Tarte galicienne | Empanada | Èmpanade |
To speak | Parler | Hablar | Habler |
School | École | Escuela | Escuele |
Store | Dépanneur | Tienda | Dèpanor |
Convenient store | Épicerie | Mercado | Epicería |
Apple | Pomme | Manzana | Pomma |
Identity
[edit]The use of Frespañol is often reflective of a minority group with two cultural identities regarding language. Similar toSpanglish,the hybrid language of Frespañol incorporates French and Spanish as a subset of both languages, which then has created a separate individuality and selfhood of heritages and cultural backgrounds. This often helps individuals of Frespañol with their identification of either group, or both at the same time while creating a separate identify of their own. As with Spanglish, this association allows for speakers to code-switch and also implement heritage, with the ability to shift when it is needed most and depending on environment. Apart from code-switching and creating a subset of the languages used, it allows for a separate identify in both heritage and cultural. This dual identity is reflected in social media and other platforms.
As the hybrid language of Frespañol grows and gains a prominent recognition, access to it has been made available in audio and online formats.[4]
This identification and association to Frespanol (Fragnol) allows for identification of mistakes from non Frespanol speakers and visibility to inclusion or exclusion to be able to identify as a Fragnol speaker. Common example mistakes include taking the wrong word due to its similarity in one language and the assumption it translates the same with the other. For example:Me exprimireto mean, "I express myself", as the French translation ism'exprimer.However, in standard Spanish,exprimireis translated to: squeezing. It is understood that Frespanol speakers would not make this mistake and be aware of the appropriate phrase to use.[5]
History
[edit]Frespañol/Frespagnol is an portmanteau of French (francés/français) and Spanish (español/espagnol). Frañol/Fragnol is similarly derived from the two. This dialect is the effect of a blend of two cultures. It began during the 20th century hundreds of thousands of Spaniards migrated to France in search of better living conditions. It first began with men migrating to France and then later on they would migrate their families into the country. The people from Spain that migrated to France did not all pick up the French language. Post-World War I France needed to be rebuilt, which opened the door to job opportunities for the Spanish in France. The Spanish had their own communities in cities such as Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Lyon, where they spoke their mother tongue. The rise and development of Frespañol was in 1960s–1970s. The Spanish workers knew very little French and the French employers knew very little Spanish, regardless they had to communicate with each other, that's when Frespañol surged naturally and it was commonly found used with people working everyday jobs such as maids, construction workers and in the automotive sector. The people that spoke it were typically from lower class communities.[6]
Boundaries and cultural impacts
[edit]The main geographic boundary where Frespañol first presented itself was along the border of Spain and France. As mentioned previously in the page, the initial flow of Spanish immigrants to France from the beginning of the 20th century up until the 1960s–1970s occurred for economic reasons and was the origin for this hybrid language. These migrations were the primary source for Frespañol, originating with the Spanish incorporating their language of origin with that of their new home country. The migrations caused an incline in the merge between the languages, resulting in the creation of this new culture for people who lived through and could share their similar language experiences. As the Spanish working class migrated deeper into France, Frespañol begun to appear in more populated cities, like Paris.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Questions about Portuñol or Frespañol".Spanish Language Meta Stack Exchange.Retrieved18 May2023.
- ^Arregi, Karlos (2010).Romance Linguistics 2008: Interactions in Romance: Selected Papers from the 38th Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages (LSRL), Urbana-Champaign, April 2008.John Benjamins Publishing.ISBN978-90-272-4831-2.
- ^Eichler, Nadine; Hager, Malin; Müller, Natascha (2012). "Code-Switching within Determiner Phrases in Bilingual Children: French, Italian, Spanish and German".Zeitschrift für französische Sprache und Literatur.122(3): 227–258.doi:10.25162/zfsl-2012-0007.ISSN0044-2747.JSTOR24548797.S2CID164235171.
- ^"Fragnol Audio Clip".YouTube.
- ^Eymar, Marcos (30 August 2017)."Diccionario Breve de Franol".
- ^"Emigración y exilio de los españoles en Francia"(PDF).
- ^"CAPÍTULO I.ORÍGENES DEL FRAÑOL"(PDF).