- The majority of the population in Miami-Dade County consists of bilingual Spanish and English speakers.
- As a result, phrases like “throw a photo” and “make a party” have become common in the region.
- A linguist has referred to this dialect as “one of the most significant linguistic convergences” in the Americas.
Next time you visit the Magic City, you may encounter an intriguing linguistic phenomenon.
According to linguists, a new English dialect has emerged in southern Florida, particularly in and around Miami, over the past six decades.
Researchers Kristen D’Allessandro Merii and Phillip M. Carter published a study in April officially identifying this new dialect, attributing its development to the thriving population of bilingual English and Spanish speakers in the region. Carter discussed this in a contribution to The Conversation.
This demographic evolution has resulted in the literal translation of Spanish words into English, giving rise to distinct linguistic patterns.
For example, Merii and Carter have identified the use of “calques” – direct translations of Spanish phrases into English. This phenomenon has led to phrases like “throw a photo,” which is a literal translation of the Spanish phrase “tirar una foto” where “tirar” means “to throw” instead of “to take.” Another example is “married with” instead of “married to,” derived from the literal translation of the Spanish phrase “casarse con,” as Carter explains.
Carter states that this linguistic development began in 1959 after the Cuban Revolution when hundreds of thousands of Cubans migrated to Miami. The constant presence of bilingual speakers has created what Carter describes as “one of the most significant linguistic convergences in the entire Americas.”
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