Spanglish: ¿pseudolengua o identidad?

Abstract

This paper explores contact between English and Spanish in the US; which generates what is commonly defined as Spanglish. Unlike many specialists; who regard this communication mode as a threat; I argue that a bilingual and bicultural society is a source of enrichment for any country and that education and the media can equip anybody with suitable language resources for different contexts and create awareness on an oral and written language standard. Obviously; this would not bring about the disappearance of US Spanglish; since code-switching and borrowing are inevitable in any contact situation. The results of this research show that Spanglish can be an effective communication medium in specific settings; where it serves as “a bridge between the Hispanic culture and the American life-style” (Fortuño; 2005; my translation).