The Mija Chronicles

Mexican food and culture, on both sides of the border

Not a Spanish speaker, or an English speaker either

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Lately when I’ve been talking, my brain’s had trouble deciding which language to use.

Twice now I’ve said “exactlo” instead of exactly. (A hybrid of exacto + exactly.) I’ve used the phrase “por lo minimum.” With Spanish-speaking friends, I’ll switch to English without even realizing that I’m doing it. And then I’ll look at them and they’ll look at me, and I feel kind of like an idiot. This has happened to me in cooking class in the past few weeks. I’ve been calling out to my partners about whether they need a pan, or if they’ve seen the sugar. Pero en inglés.

The annoying thing is that I have no control over any of it. It’s not that I’m pausing and searching for the right word — I’m just speaking normally and then boom, out comes a word in another language. But I’m guessing this is a step forward in my Spanish journey, right? I was embarrassed of my Spanish when I moved here, and then I gained more confidence and didn’t care if I messed up. Then slowly — poco a poco, as they say — I added a few choice slang words, and started noticing people’s cadences and accents. Lately I’ve also begun wondering if my cadence is “fresa,” although I’m still not entirely sure what that sounds like yet.

Just a few weeks ago I interviewed a prospective guide for Eat Mexico on the phone. He told me later, after we met in person and had a much longer talk, that he had originally assumed from our phone conversation that I was Mexican. I took it as compliment, but it’s just weird to think about. Sounding Mexican is something I’ve wanted since I was in my early twenties. How could it be that I’ve accomplished this already? There are so many nuanced cultural things I still don’t get, like how to end a phone conversation with “ándale pues” and who gets an “un beso” and who doesn’t.

Has this happened to you, where you find yourself in this weird, hybrid-language zone where the words just come out without knowing which language you’re speaking? I guess this is a form of Spanglish, but it’s not like any Spanglish I’ve ever known. I’d defined Spanglish as something conscious — the act of physically latching onto whatever word pops up in my head first. Not creating new words faster than my mind can keep up.

Spanglish

Photo from Flickr user Satanslaudromat

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  2. I do that all the time. I mix Spanish, and some Arabic. I heard it’s because the part of the brain that deals with language, the first language you learn, and then subsequent languages, are so close together. Hence the linguistic mashups, lol.

  3. I still do it from time to time; sometimes the words come faster in Spanish than they do in English. I actually miss code-switching and having people understand me (originally from San Jose, CA). I live in Singapore now and it’s a modern day Babylon. Spanish is one of the least spoken languages here.

    • Hi Flora: That is one of the things I love about living here — all of the expats I know all do the same thing, and we all understand each other. And there are plenty of Mexicans who use Spanish words in every day speech, including please (plis) and sorry. In my cooking class I recently learned that the best way to ask for a ride home is, “Me echas un ride?”

  4. When people speak more than one language, especially when they have learned them later than 12>15 years old, they do tend to mix up words. When small children are in a multilingual situation they tend to use the easiest structure or formation and mix the languages easily among siblings and others with knowledge of the same languages.

  5. Hola amiga,

    It happends to me siempre. I call it Spanglish and believe it or not my kids to it too. =)

    • Maria: Next time we see each other I will feel comfortable speaking Spanglish with you. 🙂 When *is* the next time we’ll see each other anyway? I’m so rarely in California anymore. Hopefully the next time I’m there we can carve out some time.

    • Thanks for the vote of confidence, Nick. I’ve seriously thought about this a few times. Please interrupt me if I ever start saying things like “Oseeaaa…”

  7. I’ve been living here for 21 years and find that I do it most when my language barrier involves new technology; “Te voy a forwardear el mail que me llego y puedes asi downloadear el software.”

    • Maria: I’ve found Mexicans do the same thing, or at least the ones who’ve been exposed to English. My friend Jesica totally uses forwardear. I find it hard to pronounce and stick with “Te mando este correo que me llegó…” One word I love, though, is Facebukear. Haven’t had an opp to use it yet, but I’m waiting.

      • I enjoy seeing the spelling/verbs in Spanish for facebuquear, tuitear, guglear, bloguear, fotoshopear…though I think these are mostly used in Mexico 😉

        • Facebuquear is one of my favorites. Although I used guglear the other day with one of my Mexican cooking instructors, and I think he looked at me like I was crazy. (Next time I’ll use “buscar en el internet.”)

  8. Don’t worry about it Mija your just going through a pocha phase (j/k). Have u had a dream where your speaking spanish? Growing up in a border town (El Paso TX) we have people who only speak 1 language so you find yourself flip-flopping between Spanish/English. Now here’s a phenomenom, if I go somewhere where on English is spoken I have to find someone who speaks Spanish and vice versa. I can’t go day to day being exclusive to one. I rarely mix the two languages because I grew at a time when that was frowned upon. En otras palabras no te preocupes que pronto podras hablar ambos idiomas.

    • Thanks Armando. I think I’ve dreamt in Spanish before — it’s funny because when I wake up, I don’t remember which language I was speaking. I guess that’s a good sign?

  9. I tend to mix the languages as Maria does. When I don’t know the word, often technological, I’ll borrow if from English, and then hear the native Spanish speakers doing the same thing. I’m always understood — especially with computer jargon. Maybe someday, years from now, the two languages will fuse, the border line will disappear, the two countries will become one. Oh never mind, I’m dreaming… 🙂

    Kathleen

    • Maybe too much coconut bread? 🙂 You never know, it really could be the future of the language. Although I don’t know about the border disappearing. What would they do with all the leftover fence material?

  10. I have definitely had this problem–not so much recently as my exposure to Spanish is by TV only these days, but certainly when I did study abroad in Spain. I’ve studied other languages as well, but Spanish continues to be my strongest, which is what makes it all the odder when some other foreign langauge creeps in to Spanish, in particular one that is in no way related. When I came back from study abroad, I had no trouble speaking with family and friends in English, but whenever I needed to speak with someone I didn’t know I had to suppress the urge to speak in Spanish! Funny how the brain works.

    • Sara: The exact same thing happens to me whenever I travel. When I was in India last year, I kept wanting to speak to folks in Spanish, which of course made no sense. Crayton has been learning Portuguese, and he says it’s slowly creeping into his Spanish too. Someday (when scientists understand the brain) I think they’ll figure out a way for us to compartmentalize all of it.

  11. Switching languages is normal for me. But a new trend has been the inability to construct sentences properly in english when I have been in mexico for too long. The other day I found something we had been looking for around the house, and gave it to my boyfriend saying: Here it is the book of that we were talking about. He just laughs, he says mexico breaks my brain for english.

    • Graciela: Isn’t it funny how you notice new quirks? I thought my English would suffer a little bit, but not to the extent where I’m not even conscious of the words I’m using. It’s a strange thing.

  12. Sí, it happens all the tiempo. ¿But isn’t interesting that most Mexicanos will entendernos?

    Ni de aquí Ni de allá

  13. I love this post and the comments! I have that happen to me a lot, I catch myself talking to my gringo colleagues, English flowing and all of a sudden, I just drop a Spanish word. Unintentionally. Sometimes I find myself about to say something to them and consciously remind myself to speak to them in English.

    I’ve had people ask me if I dream in English or Spanish… I have no clue! I just remember the dream. To be fair, I don’t remember if I’m skinny or fat in them either.

    • Lol! I don’t ever remember that either. Lately, yeah, it’s a question if I remember what happened or not. The other day I was so anxious because I dreamt I missed a flight to Brazil. Random.

  14. Bienvenida al mundo de los bilingües. I NUNCA let my students do that because they would never learn ‘real’ Spanish, but the reality of being truly bilingual is that you exist between two languages and are incomplete when forced to function only in one. You are most relaxed with other bilinguals who can follow your code hopping progress through a conversation. It is a kick! And it is also the future of our two languages. Since retiring I do so miss being immersed in Spanish all day, every day, and as a result, my linguistic intrusos show up less often. I have written a poem about it which I’ll post here when I get up to my office and big computer.

  15. It happens to me ALL the time, especially with syntax. I almost always accidentally say “can you take me a foto?” because of “me sacas una foto”. It’s part of being bilingual that your code-switching sometimes goes off track!

  16. Ah, story of my life too! I grew up speaking Spanish and English, but then I started learning Italian and studied abroad there for a year. I then met my Italian boyfriend, but he also understands English, so we talk in Ital-glish? Yet, sometimes I just blurt out Spanish to him and it takes me a few seconds to realize he didn’t understand what I said. Some things like “cuídate,” “espérame tantito,” and “apúrale” will just never sound as natural in any other language.

  17. Leslie, mija, welcome to my mundo!.

    I struggle with the English, French and Mandarin (!!) cadences, accents, sintaxis and cultural nuances every single day. Creo que más bien hablo Esperanto..

    When I´m talking to my husband we switch back and forth between Spanish and French and sometimes we even slip English and Mandarin on our crazy conversation. Pero bueno, no me quejo. Nos entendemos muy bien! 😀

    ah, y PLIS (o sea please) no suenes como fresa.

    • So I guess you’re all mixed up, huh Heidi? 🙂 I can’t imagine adding mandarin into the mix. On the fresa thing, you’re probably right. I just sound extranjera.

  18. Viviendo aquí en el D.F. y siendo de Alemania me pasa lo mismo! Cuando hablo alemán con alguien de vez en cuando me sale una palabra alemana. Es normal, no te preocupes!
    Oye, no necesitas una guía alemana para Eat México? Actualmente estoy trabajando para la tele, pero como es freelance me sobra el tiempo.

  19. My nickname in HS was Spanglish. I don’t normally switch the two, but it does happen occasionally. Sometimes one word just fits better, or occurs to you first. Like, durazno always comes to mind before peach, perhaps it is the order in which I learned it.

    How cool he thought you sounded Mexican! Chilanga!

  20. Lesley,

    I just bought two books that your going to love and will help you understand how we mexicans think.

    Útil y muy ameno vocabulario para entender a los mexicanos by Héctor Manjarrez (Editorial Grija
    lbo)

    El Chingonario. Diccionario de uso,reuso y abuso del chingar y sus derivados by María del Pilar Montes de Oca Sicilia (Editorial Otras Inquisiciones).

    Regards,

    William.

  21. This post made me laugh at myself all over again because my most repeatable offense is always at work in meetings when I burst out with ‘We need to do a risk assessment, no?’ Ha!

  22. Don’t worry Lesley 🙂
    Welcome to my club, but in my case I flip from English to Spanish LOL

    Sometimes when I’m really excited about something or really concentrated on my explanation, suddenly I add a few words in Spanish, like “Es como…”, “Por ejemplo”, “Ay Dios”, etc.

    Some people find it really funny, but others find it offensive. What else can I say?

    Good luck in Mexico City (Mi hogar), I hope you like it.

    Best Regards from NJ,
    Juan

  23. Hola Lesley

    I just found your Blog and let me tell you – I love it! I’m supposed to get some work done but I’m reading now for 3 hours. I’m Swiss, living in the Colonia Roma in Mexico City and there are so many things you talk about that I love and I know and it feels so great. You know that feeling when you read about a place you like? You think: “I’ve been there!!!” Just great! Thank you! So now my question to you and the people who responded on your fresa-concern. My boyfriend is mexican and he sometimes tells me when somebody talks really “fresa”, but he can’t really explain what that means. Is it more about the cadence, or more about the words? Do you have some examples?

    Un abrazo, Clau

    • Hi Clau: Thanks for reading. I’m so glad you enjoy the blog. I think this question is probably better answered by a Mexican person, because I’m not entirely sure what fresa sounds like, still, except for a slightly nasal intonation, and the propensity to draw out vowels. (e.g., “O seaaaaaaa…”) Anyone else out there care to comment?

    • Glenn: I LOVE this. Thanks so much for sharing. The flor de huitlacoche/chimichurri part was great. Now I can definitively say that I don’t sound like these girls.

  25. Hi Glen and Lesley

    This is so funny! And I now know exactly how fresa sounds… Actualy I hear it all the time, when I get my hair cut :-).

    Thanks for sharing!

    Clau