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Tracing the origins of Miami's new English. Why it's not a 'gumballs' machine. Embassy Sweets.

Feb 20, 2024

Guest Joe Alwyn discusses language evolution through loan translations in Miami post the Cuban Revolution. Exploring compound nouns in English and the impact of charity on 'tortured man club' name. Touching on bilingual language fusion in the southwest and the importance of choosing Wayne State College for success.

19:40

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Episode guests

Joe Alwyn

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Calques, also known as loan translations, occur when languages borrow from each other, impacting English in Miami and Spanish in Louisiana.

Calques can be categorized into lexicon, semantics, and phonetics, reflecting the evolving nature of language.

Deep dives

Calcs: Loan Translations Between English and Spanish

Calcs, also known as loan translations, occur when there are literal translations from one language to another. This phenomenon can happen with specific words or phrases, meanings, or sounds. For instance, the word 'skyscraper' has been translated as 'Volcankratzer' in German and 'Graticell' in French. In the English of people in Miami, examples of calcs from Spanish include phrases such as 'get down from the car' and 'make a party' which are direct translations of their Spanish counterparts. The linguistic convergence in Miami, fueled by the influx of Cuban immigrants after the Cuban Revolution, has contributed to the prevalence of calcs in the region.

Introduction

3min

The Influence of Calcs on Linguistic Evolution

6min

Language Fusion in the Southwest

7min

Exploring Compound Nouns in English

5min

Influence of charity on 'tortured man club' name and 'Embassy of Suites' familect story

3min

969. From "wolkenkratzer" in German to "flea market" in English, direct translations called calques show how languages borrow from each other. This week, we look at how these translations are changing English in Miami and Spanish in Louisiana. Plus, we look at the difference between "gumball machine" and "gumballs machine" and how it might explain Joe Alwyn's Tortured Man Chat.

The calques segment was written by Susan K. Herman, a retired multidisciplined language analyst, analytic editor, and instructor for the federal government.

Corpus Links Mentioned: https://www.english-corpora.org/coca/, https://www.english-corpora.org/

| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/calques

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