Pero, like, we all know that Miami has its own slang. But we might not even realize how much of our words only sound normal to us until we leave the 305. According to linguists, a distinct new dialect known as Miami English is emerging in the city, and you better believe it’s heavily influenced by Spanish.
What makes Miami English different?
Not exactly Spanglish, the dialect “borrows” Spanish expressions and then directly translates them into English. This is known as calques, as it keeps the existing Spanish grammatical structure.
Here are some examples:
- We say, “Get down from the car,” a literal translation of “bajarse del carro,” as opposed to “get out of the car.”
- We “make the line” at Publix (“hacer la fila”) instead of “get in line.”
- We ask to “put me the light” (“poner la luz”) and not “turn on the light.”
Linguists at Florida International University have been studying this evolving dialect for the past decade, noticing how natural it is to local speakers, but how peculiar it sounds to outsiders. And interestingly, it’s not confined to bilingual speakers! Many native English speakers have picked up the phrases as well.
Phillip M. Carter, a professor of linguistics and director of Center for Humanities in an Urban Environment at FIU, told IFL Science: “In Miami, there are many ways of speaking English. The variety we have been studying for the past 10 years or so is the main language variety of people born in South Florida in Latinx-majority communities.
“The variety is characterized by some unique but ultimately minor pronunciations, some minor grammatical differences, and word differences, which are influenced by the longstanding presence of Spanish in South Florida,” he added.
A reflection of the city’s identity
Given that we’re a city known for its multiculturalism and a major Hispanic population, none of this should come as a surprise to us. This dialect stems from decades of immigration from Spanish-speaking countries, notably with Cuba after the end of the revolution in 1959.
While we’d like to sit here and claim we’re so different and that Miami English sets us apart from the rest, it’s important to remember that the English language is also full of calques. For example, the word “dandelion” was borrowed from the French “dent de lion,” meaning “lion’s tooth.” So we’re not totally alone!
In Scientific American, Carter gave us even more examples of our ever-evolving Miami speech:
- Saying “married with,” based on the Spanish “casarse con,” instead of “married to.”
- Or “make a party,” a literal translation of “hacer una fiesta,” instead of “throw a party.”
- Ordering a “meat empanada” (“empanada de carne”), where “meat” literally translates to “carne” and can mean any beef.
- Adding an “s” to say “thanks God,” taken from the Spanish “gracias a Dios.”
What other Miami English phrases do you think should be added to the list?