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Caló (Chicano)

November 16, 2023

This article is about the Chicano idiom. For the dialect spoken by Spanish Roma, see Caló (Spanish Romani).

Caló (also known as Pachuco) is an argot or slang of Mexican Spanish that originated during the first half of the 20th century in the Southwestern United States. It is the product of zoot-suit pachuco culture that developed in the 1930s and '40s in cities along the US/Mexico border.

Origin edit

According to Chicano artist and writer José Antonio Burciaga:

Caló originally defined the Spanish gypsy dialect. But Chicano Caló is the combination of a few basic influences: Hispanicized English; Anglicized Spanish; and the use of archaic 15th-century Spanish words such as truje for traje (brought, past tense of verb 'to bring'), or haiga, for haya (from haber, to have). These words were left in isolated pockets of Northern New Mexico and the Southwest, especially New Mexico, by conquistadores españoles.

He goes on to describe the speech of his father, a native of El Paso, Texas:

My father had a vocabulary of Spanish words that to this day are not found in popular Spanish language dictionaries. He was born into a poor, migrant farm working family in a community of people that still used ancient words that some found improper and backwards but are to be found in Miguel Cervantez's [sic] classic Don Quixote. My father commonly used words such as minjurne for mixture, or cachibaches (also used in Cuban Spanish) for junk. I would hear them without knowing their definition but I knew exactly what he meant when talking within a specific context. Some words were archaic, others were a combination of English and Spanish. And though he knew "standard" Spanish of "educated" people, he also worked, lived, laughed and cried with words that were more expressive and indigenous to the border than standard Spanish.

The Caló of El Paso was probably influenced by the wordplay common to the speech of residents of the Tepito barrio of Mexico City. One such resident was the comic film actor Germán Valdés, a native of Mexico City who grew up in Ciudad Juárez (just across the US-Mexico border from El Paso). His films did much to popularize the language in Mexico and the United States.

Development edit

Caló has evolved in every decade since the 1940-1950s. It underwent much change during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s as Chicanos began to enter US universities and become exposed to counterculture and psychedelia. Caló words and expressions became cultural symbols of the Chicano Movement during the 1960s and 1970s, when they were used frequently in literature and poetry. That language was sometimes known as Floricanto. Caló enjoyed mainstream exposure when the character "Cheech", played by Cheech Marin, used Caló in the Cheech and Chong movies of the 1970s.

By the 1970s, the term Pachuco was frequently shortened to Chuco. The Pachuco originated from El Paso, which was the root of the city's nickname, "Chuco Town". Pachucos usually dressed in zoot suits with wallet chains, round hats with feathers and were Chicanos.

Caló is not to be confused with Spanglish, which is not limited to Mexican Spanish. It is similar to Lunfardo in that it has an eclectic and multilingual vocabulary.

Features edit

Caló makes heavy use of code-switching (fluidly changing between two or more languages in a single conversation or exchange). Caló uses rhyming and, in some cases, a type of rhyming slang similar to Cockney rhyming slang or African American Vernacular English jive.

Examples edit

Since Caló is primarily spoken by individuals with varying formal knowledge of Spanish or English, variations occur in words, especially of phonemes pronounced similarly in Spanish: c/s, w/hu/gu, r/d, and b/v. It is common to see the word barrio ("neighborhood") spelled as varrio, vato ("dude") spelled as bato or güero ("blond/white man") spelled as huero or even weddo.

Usage edit

The translations should not be taken literally; they are idioms like the English "See you later alligator".

¿Qué Pasiones?
(literally "What Passions") ¿Qué Pasa? meaning "What is going on?"
¿Si ya sábanas, paquetes hilo? or Si ya Sabanas, pa' que cobijas
(literally, "If already sheets, packages thread?/covers what for") ¿Si ya sabes, pa(ra) qué te digo? meaning, "If you already know, why am I telling you?"

Occasionally, English is spoken with Mexican features. Speaking to a sibling or family member about parents, for example, a Caló speaker will refer to them as "My Mother" (Mi Mamá) instead of "Mom" or "Our mother".

Rhyming is sometimes used by itself and for emphasis.

Common phrases include:

¿Me comprendes, Méndez?
"Do you understand, Méndez?"
¿O te explico, Federico?
"Or do I explain it to you, Federico?"
Nel, pastel
"No way" (lit. "Nay, Cake")
Al rato, vato
"Later, dude" (lit. "al rato" means "later"; "vato" means friend or guy)
¿Me esperas, a comer peras?
"Will you wait for me?" (lit. "will you wait for me to eat pears?")
¿Qué te pasa, calabaza?
"Whats going on?" (lit. "What is happening to you, squash/pumpkin?")
Nada Nada, Limonada
"Not much" (lit. "Nothing, nothing, lemonade". Spoken as a response to the above, "¿Qué te pasa, calabaza?").

In popular culture edit

See also edit

Sources edit

  • Aguilar Melantzón, Ricardo. Glosario del caló de Cd. Juárez. (translated by Federico Ferro Gay ; edited by María Telles-McGeagh, Patricia A. Sullivan. Las Cruces, N.M.: Joint Border Research Institute, New Mexico State University, c1989.
  • Burciaga, José Antonio. Drink Cultura: Chicanismo. Santa Barbara: Joshua Odell Editions, Capra Press, 1993. ISBN 1-877741-07-8
  • Cummings, Laura. "The Pachuco Language Variety in Tucson." In Pachucas and Pachucos in Tucson: Situated Border Lives. University of Arizona Press, 2009. pp 95–131
  • Fuentes, Dagoberto. Barrio language dictionary: first dictionary of Caló [by] Dagoberto Fuentes [and] José A. López. La Puente, California: El Barrio Publications, 1974.
  • Galindo, D. Letticia. "Dispelling the Male-Only Myth: Chicanas and Calo." Bilingual Review 16: 1. 1992.
  • Galindo, D. Letticia and María Dolores Gonzales, editors. Speaking Chicana : voice, power, and identity. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, c1999. ISBN 0-8165-1814-9 and ISBN 0-8165-1815-7 (paperback)
  • Hallcom, Francine, Ph.D. "An Urban Ethnography of Latino Street Gangs in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties"
  • Metcalf, Allan A. "The Study of California Chicano English". International Journal of the Sociology of Language. Volume 1974, Issue 2, Pages 53–58
  • JL Orenstein-Galicia. "Totacho a Todo Dar: communicative functions of Chicano Caló along the US-Mexico border." La Linguistique (Paris. 1965)
  • Ortega, Adolfo. Caló Orbis: semiotic aspects of a Chicano language variety New York: P. Lang, c1991. ISBN 0-8204-1542-1
  • Ortega, Adolfo. Caló tapestry. Berkeley: Editorial Justa Publications, 1977. ISBN 0-915808-21-8
  • Polkinhorn, Harry, Alfredo Velasco, and Malcom Lambert. El Libro De Caló: The Dictionary of Chicano Slang. Mountain View, California: Floricanto Press, 1988. ISBN 0-915745-19-4
  • Webb, John Terrance. A lexical study of Caló and non-standard Spanish in the Southwest. (dissertation), 1976.
  • Manuel Cantú - Pachuco Dictionary ISBN 978-0-615-15944-7

November 16, 2023
caló, chicano, this, article, about, chicano, idiom, dialect, spoken, spanish, roma, caló, spanish, romani, this, article, includes, list, references, related, reading, external, links, sources, remain, unclear, because, lacks, inline, citations, please, help,. This article is about the Chicano idiom For the dialect spoken by Spanish Roma see Calo Spanish Romani This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations October 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Calo also known as Pachuco is an argot or slang of Mexican Spanish that originated during the first half of the 20th century in the Southwestern United States It is the product of zoot suit pachuco culture that developed in the 1930s and 40s in cities along the US Mexico border Contents 1 Origin 2 Development 3 Features 4 Examples 5 Usage 6 In popular culture 7 See also 8 SourcesOrigin editAccording to Chicano artist and writer Jose Antonio Burciaga Calo originally defined the Spanish gypsy dialect But Chicano Calo is the combination of a few basic influences Hispanicized English Anglicized Spanish and the use of archaic 15th century Spanish words such as truje for traje brought past tense of verb to bring or haiga for haya from haber to have These words were left in isolated pockets of Northern New Mexico and the Southwest especially New Mexico by conquistadores espanoles He goes on to describe the speech of his father a native of El Paso Texas My father had a vocabulary of Spanish words that to this day are not found in popular Spanish language dictionaries He was born into a poor migrant farm working family in a community of people that still used ancient words that some found improper and backwards but are to be found in Miguel Cervantez s sic classic Don Quixote My father commonly used words such as minjurne for mixture or cachibaches also used in Cuban Spanish for junk I would hear them without knowing their definition but I knew exactly what he meant when talking within a specific context Some words were archaic others were a combination of English and Spanish And though he knew standard Spanish of educated people he also worked lived laughed and cried with words that were more expressive and indigenous to the border than standard Spanish The Calo of El Paso was probably influenced by the wordplay common to the speech of residents of the Tepito barrio of Mexico City One such resident was the comic film actor German Valdes a native of Mexico City who grew up in Ciudad Juarez just across the US Mexico border from El Paso His films did much to popularize the language in Mexico and the United States Development editCalo has evolved in every decade since the 1940 1950s It underwent much change during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s as Chicanos began to enter US universities and become exposed to counterculture and psychedelia Calo words and expressions became cultural symbols of the Chicano Movement during the 1960s and 1970s when they were used frequently in literature and poetry That language was sometimes known as Floricanto Calo enjoyed mainstream exposure when the character Cheech played by Cheech Marin used Calo in the Cheech and Chong movies of the 1970s By the 1970s the term Pachuco was frequently shortened to Chuco The Pachuco originated from El Paso which was the root of the city s nickname Chuco Town Pachucos usually dressed in zoot suits with wallet chains round hats with feathers and were Chicanos Calo is not to be confused with Spanglish which is not limited to Mexican Spanish It is similar to Lunfardo in that it has an eclectic and multilingual vocabulary Features editCalo makes heavy use of code switching fluidly changing between two or more languages in a single conversation or exchange Calo uses rhyming and in some cases a type of rhyming slang similar to Cockney rhyming slang or African American Vernacular English jive Examples editSince Calo is primarily spoken by individuals with varying formal knowledge of Spanish or English variations occur in words especially of phonemes pronounced similarly in Spanish c s w hu gu r d and b v It is common to see the word barrio neighborhood spelled as varrio vato dude spelled as bato or guero blond white man spelled as huero or even weddo Usage editThe translations should not be taken literally they are idioms like the English See you later alligator Que Pasiones literally What Passions Que Pasa meaning What is going on Si ya sabanas paquetes hilo or Si ya Sabanas pa que cobijas literally If already sheets packages thread covers what for Si ya sabes pa ra que te digo meaning If you already know why am I telling you Occasionally English is spoken with Mexican features Speaking to a sibling or family member about parents for example a Calo speaker will refer to them as My Mother Mi Mama instead of Mom or Our mother Rhyming is sometimes used by itself and for emphasis Common phrases include Me comprendes Mendez Do you understand Mendez O te explico Federico Or do I explain it to you Federico Nel pastel No way lit Nay Cake Al rato vato Later dude lit al rato means later vato means friend or guy Me esperas a comer peras Will you wait for me lit will you wait for me to eat pears Que te pasa calabaza Whats going on lit What is happening to you squash pumpkin Nada Nada Limonada Not much lit Nothing nothing lemonade Spoken as a response to the above Que te pasa calabaza In popular culture editAmerican Me Akwid Blood In Blood Out Cheech and Chong La Chilanga Banda a song by Cafe Tacuba Culture Clash Don Tosti Edward James Olmos George Lopez TV series Harsh Times Homies Frost Chicano rap artist whose song La Raza uses Calo Lalo Guerrero Pachuco swing musician Lowrider Magazine Gilbert Magu Lujan La Mission 2009 movie Mi Vida Loca Robert Rodriguez Sublime Tin Tan actor from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema who popularized Pachuco dress and talk Zoot Suit film Zoot Suit play El Mero Perro Chicano Rap Artist and Music Producer who uses many Calo lyrics with Tejano Chicano Pachuco themes in his songsSee also edit nbsp Latino and Hispanic American portal nbsp Language portalChicano English East Los orale PachucoSources editAguilar Melantzon Ricardo Glosario del calo de Cd Juarez translated by Federico Ferro Gay edited by Maria Telles McGeagh Patricia A Sullivan Las Cruces N M Joint Border Research Institute New Mexico State University c1989 Burciaga Jose Antonio Drink Cultura Chicanismo Santa Barbara Joshua Odell Editions Capra Press 1993 ISBN 1 877741 07 8 Cummings Laura The Pachuco Language Variety in Tucson In Pachucas and Pachucos in Tucson Situated Border Lives University of Arizona Press 2009 pp 95 131 Fuentes Dagoberto Barrio language dictionary first dictionary of Calo by Dagoberto Fuentes and Jose A Lopez La Puente California El Barrio Publications 1974 Galindo D Letticia Dispelling the Male Only Myth Chicanas and Calo Bilingual Review 16 1 1992 Galindo D Letticia and Maria Dolores Gonzales editors Speaking Chicana voice power and identity Tucson University of Arizona Press c1999 ISBN 0 8165 1814 9 and ISBN 0 8165 1815 7 paperback Hallcom Francine Ph D An Urban Ethnography of Latino Street Gangs in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties Metcalf Allan A The Study of California Chicano English International Journal of the Sociology of Language Volume 1974 Issue 2 Pages 53 58 JL Orenstein Galicia Totacho a Todo Dar communicative functions of Chicano Calo along the US Mexico border La Linguistique Paris 1965 Ortega Adolfo Calo Orbis semiotic aspects of a Chicano language variety New York P Lang c1991 ISBN 0 8204 1542 1 Ortega Adolfo Calo tapestry Berkeley Editorial Justa Publications 1977 ISBN 0 915808 21 8 Polkinhorn Harry Alfredo Velasco and Malcom Lambert El Libro De Calo The Dictionary of Chicano Slang Mountain View California Floricanto Press 1988 ISBN 0 915745 19 4 1 Webb John Terrance A lexical study of Calo and non standard Spanish in the Southwest dissertation 1976 Manuel Cantu Pachuco Dictionary ISBN 978 0 615 15944 7 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Calo Chicano amp oldid 1171384925, 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