Spanish spoken in New York City is heavily influenced by dialects from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico – and by English.
A recent study by a CUNY graduate school linguist demonstrates that Spanish spoken in New York City carries elements of English as well as many Latin American dialects.
“Researchers made the discovery — a clue that Hispanic immigrants are mingling frequently among one another and with English speakers — by studying one of the tiniest but most telling components of the Spanish language: the pronoun,” reports Sarah Garland for the New York Sun. “The little words, necessary in English but optional in most Spanish dialects, were found peppered in New York Spanish much more frequently than in the Spanish of immigrants’ native countries.”
The study, which was carried out over six years, points out that these changes in the language take place whether or not the speakers have learned English. The researchers have also discovered that U.S. Spanish speakers easily “cross dialects.” For example, a Cuban native will quickly pick up Mexican or Ecuadorian vocabulary and expressions. Thus, second-generation immigrants can be considered as part of “a New York Spanish speech community.”
If your company wants to market to the growing Hispanic demographic segment, you will need quality Spanish translations from a language service provider such as Language Translation Inc. in San Diego. To begin the translation process, you may request a quote directly, or contact us. “Let us show your how good translation should be.”
Betty Carlson
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