English in New Mexico

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English in New Mexico
Region New Mexico
Native speakers
 (no data)[1]
Latin script
Language codes
ISO 639-3 –
Glottolog None

English in New Mexico is the collective set of local dialects and varieties of American English spoken in the U.S. state of New Mexico.[2] It is sometimes referred to as New Mexican English,[3][4] or in aggregate of Northern New Mexico (Chicano) English[5][6] (itself sometimes called the Burqueño dialect)[7] and the transitional variety found in eastern New Mexico.[8] Neighboring languages in the region include New Mexican Spanish, Navajo, and numerous other Native American languages and dialects.

Regional history[edit]

After the Mexican–American War, New Mexico and all its inhabitants came under the governance of the English-speaking United States, and for the next hundred years, English-speakers increased in number.[9] The numbers increased especially thanks to the trade-routes of the Old Spanish Trail and the Santa Fe Trail. New Mexico was culturally isolated after the New Mexico Campaign during the American Civil War. Aside from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, the isolation was similar to when New Mexico was culturally isolated from the rest of Spanish America. In 1910, the English language became the more widely spoken language in New Mexico,[10] however New Mexican Spanish is popular and still spoken throughout the state and, as such, is given a special status of recognition.[11] After statehood the dialect continued to evolve, alongside newcomers, thanks to increases in travel, for example, along U.S. Route 66.[12]

Varieties[edit]

  • New Mexico's southeastern quadrant is home to its own transitional variety between the Western and Southern dialects of the United States. This variety's usage extends as far west as Las Cruces and is further associated with El Paso, Texas.[13] Speakers generally front /oʊ/ and potentially do not participate in the cot-caught merger (which is still in transition in this area).[14] Furthermore, just along the extreme eastern border of this southeastern transitional area can be found speakers of the distinctive Texan dialect, who, for instance, pronounce /aɪ/ as [aː].[8]
  • A variety of Chicano English,[15] known as Northern New Mexico Chicano English, is primarily spoken by people of Hispanic descent and is a subset in this region.[16]
  • One Spanish contact variety of English spoken in New Mexico is Northern New Mexican English.[5][6]

Phonological features[edit]

This section contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

The phonetics of New Mexican English are similar to General American English. New Mexican English is, however, distinguished by a demonstrative "sing-song" intonation pattern, which has a higher voice-onset time with multilingual individuals, making the pattern more audible, though it is still present in native English speakers and is not dependent on multilingualism.[6]

Low back vowels have shifted, along with the rest of Western American English. In particular, the vowel sounds in words like cot and caught have fully merged in New Mexico; therefore, the words cot, nod, and stock, for instance, are perfect homophones of caught, gnawed, and stalk, respectively.[14] This change is found in many comparatively recent varieties of General American, and other transitioning varieties throughout the country in otherwise historically non-merged regions.[14] The merged vowels are [ɒ~ɑ] – /ɒ/ ( listen) and /ɑ/ ( listen) – toward /ɒ/ (and often represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as the slightly lengthened /ɒː/ for North American English, because of the related father–bother merger in General American).

Lexical features[edit]

The vocabulary of the Spanish and Native American languages has intermixed with New Mexican English, leading to unique loanwords and interjections.[2] Multiple places across New Mexico also have names originating from various language other than English, including New Mexican Spanish, Navajo, and Tiwa. Due to this, some places even have multiple names.[17] The Spanish characters of ñ and ll remain audible, and are even used on proper nouns such as relleno, Doña Ana, Montaño.[citation needed]

Words and phrases[edit]

  • A la maquina [ä lä ˈmäːkinä] (literally "to the machine" in Spanish) is usually used as a startled expression, sometimes shortened to a la.[7]
  • Acequia, the word for ditch in Spanish, is common within the entire Rio Grande Valley.[18][2]
  • Canales, Spanish for rain and street gutters, in the northern parts of the state.[2]
  • Coke to mean any generic carbonated soft drink, as also commonly used in the American South.[19]
  • Corazón, the word for heart in Spanish, can be connotative of sweetheart, dear, courage, and spirit.[20]
  • Coyote, became a loanword into American English after becoming so prevalent in New Mexican English.[21]
  • Howdy, as used as a greeting in Texan English, is used throughout rural regions of the State. Usually used as it is in Western American English in conjunction with Partner, for howdy partner.[22]
  • Hui [ˈu:ˈi:], a fear-based or startled interjection, similar to eek.
  • Kachina, spirits from Pueblo religion,[23] most commonly used in connection to the kachina dolls.[citation needed]
  • Kiva, a place of worship for the Pueblo,[24] it is referenced in numerous places throughout the state,[25] including proper nouns,[26] an example being the "Kiva Auditorium" at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Used as a turn of phrase, such as, "sweating in a kiva".[27]
  • O sí (seguro), [7] literally "Oh yeah (sure)" in Spanish, is used as an ironic reaction or as a sincere questioning of a statement.
  • Ombers [ˈɒmbɚːz], an interjection commonly used to express playful disapproval or shaming of another, similar to tsk tsk.[7]
  • Sick to the stomach, from northern U.S. English, is a term to describe feeling very upset, worried, or angry.[2]
  • Vigas, the Spanish word for rafters, especially common in the northern part of the state.[2]

Miscellaneous features[edit]

  • Or what and Or no are added to end of sentences to exemplify the needed confirmation in a prior statement.[7] Examples, "Can you see, or no?" or "Are we late, or what?"
  • New Mexico chile has had a large impact on New Mexico's cultural heritage, so large in fact, that it was entered into the congressional record as being spelled 'chile', and not chili.[28][29] In New Mexico there is a differentiation for chili, which most New Mexicans equate to chili con carne.[30]

In popular culture[edit]

In 2012, two viral videos produced by Blackoutdigital, a New Mexican entertainment group, depicted an exaggerated version of New Mexican English. The videos were called "Shit Burqueños (New Mexicans) Say", and were distributed on YouTube. The main character in the videos, Lynette, is played by actress Lauren Poole.[31]

See also[edit]

Portal icon New Mexico portal
Portal icon Language portal

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The sources for this article do not contain any information regarding the number of native speakers.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Encyclopedia.com 2010.
  3. ^ Gilbert & Ornstein-Galicia 1978, p. 21.
  4. ^ Boyle & Evans 2008, p. 245.
  5. ^ a b High Desert Linguistics 2014, p. 21.
  6. ^ a b c Balukas & Koops 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e Wilson 2015.
  8. ^ a b Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006:156)
  9. ^ Julyan & Till 1999, p. 12.
  10. ^ Valle 2003, p. 15.
  11. ^ Domenici 2004, p. 10664.
  12. ^ Hinckley 2012, p. 9.
  13. ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006:142)
  14. ^ a b c Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006:122)
  15. ^ Busby, M. (2004). The Southwest. The Greenwood encyclopedia of American regional cultures. Greenwood Press. pp. 270–271. ISBN 978-0-313-32805-3. Retrieved August 29, 2014. 
  16. ^ Hernández, Pilar (1993). "Vowel shift in Northern New Mexico Chicano English. Mester 22: 227-234.
  17. ^ Valdez 2011.
  18. ^ Wozniak 1998.
  19. ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006:289)
  20. ^ Madrid 2011, p. 304.
  21. ^ University of New Mexico 1948.
  22. ^ Skandera 2007, p. 355.
  23. ^ Weigle, Levine & Stiver 2009, p. 632.
  24. ^ Edgerton & de Lara 2001, p. 327.
  25. ^ Project 2013, p. 338.
  26. ^ Kessell 1995.
  27. ^ Scott 1991, p. 5.
  28. ^ King 2009.
  29. ^ Smith & Kraig 2013.
  30. ^ Montaño 2001.
  31. ^ "¡Colores! September 20th, 2013". PBS. Retrieved August 29, 2014. .

References[edit]

New Mexico Languages of New Mexico
Indigenous
Non-Indigenous
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