New–Mexican Spanish

E. C. Hills

doi:10.2307/456770

New–Mexican Spanish

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020

E. C. Hills

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This article is merely a contribution toward a record of popular New-Mexican Spanish. It is incomplete and fragmentary; and, doubtless, it has many errors, since most of the words and expressions it contains were received through the ear. By New-Mexican Spanish is here meant the popular Spanish speech of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. This region is only a small part of the southwestern States and Territories where Spanish is spoken, and yet it is as large as Italy. Its population may be roughly estimated at 125,000 Spanish-speaking persons, of whom some 40,000 or 50,000 are in Colorado and the remainder in northern New Mexico.

Type: Research Article
Information: PMLA , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , 1906 , pp. 706 - 753

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/456770 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1906

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^{page 706 note 1} I have spent, all told, six months in New Mexico, and three and one-half years in Colorado, and my New-Mexican Spanish note-book has been an inseparable companion.

^{page 708 note 1} Dr. Bransby tells me that in central Colombia the l element of ll is retained.

^{page 708 note 2} It will be noted that these phenomena are, for the most part, apparently of Andalusian origin. Professor Ford has called my attention to the fact that several of the phonetic peculiarities of New-Mexican Spanish obtain also in the Western and other dialects of the Spanish peninsula (e. g., e > i before a, o, u; o > u before a, e, i; intervocalic n sometimes falls, leaving the preceding vowel nasal; dije < dice, etc.; muncho < mucho, etc.). These facts would seem to indicate that the Spaniards, from whom New-Mexican Spanish has come, were (1) of Castilian, (2) of Andalusian, and (3) of Western-Spanish (perhaps some of Portuguese), origin.

^{page 709 note 1} Throughout the article I have marked with an asterisk the facts that Professor Espinosa first called to my attention, although in some cases my explanation of the phenomena differs from that suggested by Professor Espinosa. But, in every case, whether the facts came to me directly, or through another, I have attempted to verify them before incorporating them in this article.

Dr. Bransby has kindly pointed out words in the Vocabulary that are also common to central Colombia. I have marked these by footnotes. There has never been much intercourse between the New Mexicans and the Colombians, and it would therefore seem that those words that are common to both regions were brought over from Spain.

^{page 709 note 2} The following statistics, taken from the reports of the census of 1900, may be of interest:—

New Mexico,—total population, 195,310, of whom 143,216 were born in New Mexico, 6,649 in Mexico, 27 in Spain, and 27 in other Spanish-speaking countries. There were 13,144 Indians, 1,610 Negroes, and 349 Mongolians. Illiteracy, amongst those at least ten years of age, was 33.2 % (probably one-half of the Spanish-speaking population was illiterate).

In Colorado the population is composed chiefly of English-speaking people, most of whom were born in the Eastern and Middle-Western States. Most of the “Mexicans” are found in the southern third of the State. Of these 10,222 were born in New Mexico, 274 in Mexico, 41 in Spain, and 235 in other Spanish-speaking countries.

^{page 710 note 1} The orthography and the pronunciation given by the Spanish Academy are taken as a basis of comparison, although I know full well that even cultivated Castilians do not speak as the Academy wishes them to do. For instance, oscuro (obscuro), sétimo (séptimo), trasparente (transparente), estender (extender), amáo or amáu (amado), pa (para), etc., etc., probably occur as commonly in Central Spain as in New Mexico.

^{page 711 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 712 note 1} But deséu, deseaj, etc.

^{page 712 note 2} Note also, with intervening consonant, siñor or señor, asign (á según).

^{page 712 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 713 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 714 note 1} au < ado is a pure diphthong; au < avo, abo, allo, etc., tends to remain dissyllabic,* and the u is open.

^{page 714 note 2} The pronunciation of this final u < o (except in an < ado where u is clôse) seems to hesitate between close o and open u, but I consider it to be usually an open u (= approximately English u in full).

^{page 714 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 715 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 716 note 1} When b falls in aba, there seems to be often a trace of a hiatus u: amaa, or (in rapid speech) amá.

^{page 716 note 2} Cf. S. C. bautismo, etc.

^{page 716 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 717 note 1} This is as well as I can express it graphically.

^{page 717 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 718 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 719 note 1} Some New Mexicans retain intervocalic n in all positions.

^{page 719 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 720 note 1} Professor Espinosa holds that ll falls in llé, lli, but my observation leads me to believe that a somewhat indistinct hiatus y is present.

^{page 720 note 2} In American English, gü in Spanish names is uniformly pronounced w, as in Saguache (Sah-wátch), Guanajato (Wah-nah-háh-ti), etc.

^{page 720 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 721 note 1} By analogy with aut < apt (?).

^{page 721 note 2} By analogy with eut < ept (?).

^{page 721 note 3} This breathing is made so near the s position that an untrained ear would scarcely detect at first the difference between the breathing and the soft final S. C. s.

^{page 721 note 4} I shall probably be criticised for using j to represent two sounds: (1) initial or intervocalic N. M. j, in juta (junta), jete (gente), ojo, etc.; and, (2) the indistinct front breathing that usually replaces s at the end of a syllable in N. M. S. And yet these two sounds probably differ no more than do the two r's in raro.

^{page 722 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 723 note 1} Some observers consider initial or intervocalic j<f, s, h, etc. (as in jogn, nojotroj, jõDo, joso), different from the j of juTta (junta), jēte (gente), etc., but I can detect no difference.

^{page 723 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 724 note 1} Tomá (tomara) has back a, while tomá (tomada) has front a.*

^{page 724 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 725 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 726 note 1} When two or more forms are given, the commoner is given first.

^{page 726 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 727 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 727 note 1} Or eya, eyaj, eyuj, eyu.

^{page 727 note 2} In popular New-Mexican Spanish loj, laj, lej, or se(==lej), often replace noj.* Thus loj be may mean “he sees them,” or “you,” or “us.” Note the analogous forms: loj be á euj, “he sees them”; loj be á ujtedej, “he sees you”; loj be á nosotroj, “he sees us.” Note also se lo (d)iju á nosotroj, “he told us so,” etc. This usage is widespread, but not universal. In this connection it should be noted that the feminine form nosotraj is rare; like other pronouns of the first and second persons, nosotroj does not distinguish gender.

^{page 729 note 1} The re- is the intensive prefix.

^{page 729 note 2} Whenever, in this article, it is said that a verb is inflected as in S. C., it is meant that the inflection is the same in N. M. S. as in S. C, except for these regularly occurring changes, which are common to all N. M. S. verbs.

^{page 729 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 730 note 1} The only imperative (or subjunctive used as an imperative) of the first person plural in N. M. S. is (b)amoj or (b)ámonoj. The suffix -noj in tómenoj, etc., seems to be by analogy to (b)ámonoj.

^{page 730 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 731 note 1} Less commonly, paseyu,* paseyaj, etc.; cã(m)Beyu,* cã(m)Beyaj, etc.

^{page 731 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 732 note 1} Whenever two forms are given, the commoner is given first.

^{page 732 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 734 note 1} so, ‘jto or to, do, and bo, (for soy, estoy, doy, and voy) are common in south-eastern Colorado.

^{page 734 note 2} Less commonly, seya, etc.

^{page 734 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 735 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 736 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 737 note 1} Cai(r) and trai(r) [the r* usually falls in these two infinitives] are the common forms.

^{page 737 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 738 note 1} Less commonly, beyu; beya, beyaj, etc.

^{page 738 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 740 note 1} In a few cases I have given words that have the same meaning in N. M. S. and in S. C., (1) if the word is common in N. M. S. and rare in S. C. (cf. rasurar), or (2) if it lias in N. M. S. a secondary meaning that does not exist in S. C. (cf. caldear).

^{page 740 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 741 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 741 note 2} It has been suggested that aveno is by analogy to heno, but heno is unknown in N. M. S.

^{page 741 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 742 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 742 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 743 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 743 note 2} The turkey has many names in American Spanish. I have noted: guanajo (Cuba), guajalote (central and southern Mexico), cócono (northern Mexico and New Mex.), gallina de la tierra (New Mex. and Colo.); ganso * (Colo.), pisco (Colombia, Bransby).

^{page 743 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 744 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 744 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 745 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 745 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 746 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 746 note 2} The dictionary of the Spanish Academy gives gringo < griego. I have heard Mexicans say that it comes from the song “Green grows the shamrock,” sung upon a certain occasion by a company of Irishmen on the Gulf coast of Mexico.

^{page 746 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 747 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 747 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 748 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 748 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 749 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 749 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 750 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 750 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 751 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 751 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 752 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 752 note ∗} Espinosa.

^{page 753 note 1} Also in Colombia (Bransby).

^{page 753 note ∗} Espinosa.

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