Latino Hosts Habla En Spanglish Because They’re So Loco For You, Amigo!
12 October 2009, 10:36 AM. By Alex Alvarez
A report on Latino talk show hosts emphasizes their ability to converse in Spanglish, something we’ve touched upon before when it comes to marketing products to younger, second or third generation Latinos in the U.S. We explained that context mattered when it comes to Spanglish in ads, and that if something happens to be grammatically incorrect in one or both languages, it’ll just come across as stupid and off-putting.
So, now, we’re interested to see in what you think about the use of Spanglish in TV shows specifically geared towards our demographic (You know: Good-looking Latinos between the ages of 18 and 34):
They say things like “Antes de la break” and “Mira que cute.” One is a clownish, Puerto Rican-born 28-year-old who ditched studying engineering to pursue a career in entertainment; another is an outspoken Southern California native who once had a penchant for crashing cars. The Spanglish? It just comes naturally.
They’re part of a new generation of Latino TV personalities: attractive, plugged in and conversant not only in Spanglish argot but in a complex, shifting culture. Their employers believe they are offering young viewers a cool, and marketable, connection to this culture.
Clownish? Outspoken? The only language those particular adjectives bring to mind is “coded,” but that’s a story for another day.
We know lots of shows geared towards Latinos are basically long-form advertisements, or at least a platform to sell ads specifically geared towards our particular group, so Spanglish on television programs isn’t all that different from Spanglish in commercials, but, nonetheless: How do you feel about this? We’ve noted many instances where the use of Spanglish seems forced and inauthentic, as if the host wouldn’t use this if he or she was not on camera.
Rarely does the use of Spanglish on TV or in print endear us to the show or the writer. We do speak Spanglish at home, but we guess we’re not used to it in the public sphere, you know? It seems almost like a private language used at home that is exploited in an attempt to appeal to us and make us buy something. But that’s just us. What say you, gente?
Latino TV personalities juggle a bilingual stage [Chicago Tribune]
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I’m confused by all this.
theyre talking about the chicas project show right? i know crash doesn’t speak spanish that well so i give them the benefit of the doubt.
I think non-Spanish speaking folks look at Spanglish as some sort of uneducated mongrel language, but people who are even slightly conversant in Spanish and have Latin American roots don’t seem to react to it so strongly. Do I think it often sounds stupid? Sure. Is the use of Spanglish to sell market to a Hispanic audience often sensationalistic and entirely off the mark? Yes. But there are times when I’m speaking with like-minded, Spanish-dominant folks, and an English word just won’t do. Spanish and Spanglish can be a really private, intimate (ew?) thing for people, not something you’d use at work or in school. And this might be my non-American childhood talking, but Spanish curse words and slurs will always carry much more punch for me…everyone in the US seems to be using “fuck” or “bitch” so much that it’s almost meaningless now. But calling someone a comemierda? That hurts.
As odd as it sounds, and despite the fact that it had almost nothing to do with my actual major, I did manage to study Spanglish, code-switching and the work of Spanglish-scholar Ilan Stavans in college, and it was very eye-opening. There are definitely different kinds of Spanglish, and it does seem to have its own internal structure. Some of this advertising Spanish does sound forced and unnatural though. And I am convinced that no one has really found out a way to succesfuly reach young, American-born (or Americanized) bilingual Latinos. The use of Spanglish can seem very patronizing, specially when done badly. There are a ton of Latinos who don’t speak Spanish and many more for whom Spanglish is not a routine part of their lives.
So true about curse words in Spanish! They do seem so much more potent.
I’ve also found that I can’t speak to babies or small animals in English. I automatically switch to Spanish or Spanglish. Maybe it’s because I associate it with family / love / childhood?
“And I am convinced that no one has really found out a way to succesfuly reach young, American-born (or Americanized) bilingual Latinos. The use of Spanglish can seem very patronizing, specially when done badly. There are a ton of Latinos who don’t speak Spanish and many more for whom Spanglish is not a routine part of their lives.”
QFT.
My father used to get so pissed if I spoke Spanglish. He always told me to pick one language at a time and stick with it. Ultimately, Spanglish is a symptom of a bad vocabulary in TWO languages.
OMG! I thought my mom was the only one who banned Spanglish. To this day I can’t so the Spanglish thing. I sound really stupid.