Llanito

Main article: Llanito

Llanito, also called Yanito, is a special way of speaking used in Gibraltar. It mixes Andalusian Spanish with many words from English and other languages. People in Gibraltar often switch between Spanish and English when they talk. They use lots of English words and words from other Mediterranean languages.

Llanito is very important to the people of Gibraltar, who sometimes call themselves Llanitos. But English is becoming more common, especially with younger people. Many young people speak very little Llanito, even though they learn Spanish in school. Because of this, Llanito has been called "Gibraltar's dying mother-tongue."

Etymology

The word Llanito might have started in different ways, and we are not sure how it began. In Spanish, llanito means "little flatland." One idea is that it describes the "people of the flatlands." Some think people from La Línea, a nearby town, were called Llanitos because their town is flat and marshy.

Another idea is that Llanito comes from the name Gianni, a common Italian name. In the late 1700s, many people in Gibraltar came from Genoa, and Gianni was a popular name. Over time, the name changed a little in how people said it. Some also think the term might come from the English name Johnny. Finally, some believe llanito described the simple, everyday language spoken by people in Gibraltar.

History

Llanito developed through several key events. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht gave Gibraltar to the United Kingdom. After the Spanish War of Independence and the Peninsular War, British leaders set up schools based on British style. During the evacuation of Gibraltar in the Second World War, leaders saw that many people in Gibraltar didn’t speak enough English, so Spanish became just one subject in school. From 1969 to 1982, Spanish leaders closed "the fence", which stopped Spanish workers from coming into Gibraltar. This led to less use of Spanish at work and home.

Language

Llanito is a special way of speaking from the Campo de Gibraltar area. It mixes Andalusian Spanish with British English. You can find words from Genoese, Ligurian, Hebrew, Maltese, Portuguese, Menorcan Catalan, and Darija Arabic in Llanito.

People who speak Llanito often switch between Spanish and English in their sentences. This makes Llanito unique. Even though Llanito isn’t usually written down, there have been dictionaries made to help people learn it.

Core elements of Llanito vocabulary

Llanito is based mostly on everyday Spanish from the Campo de Gibraltar area, but it has many special words and phrases that make it unique. These come from English and other languages.

One group of words in Llanito comes from English. For example, echegarai means 'watchman' or 'guard' and comes from the English phrase 'Check Gate'. Another example is focona, which means the Gibraltar border with Spain and comes from the English 'Four Corners'. Sometimes, Llanito uses words that sound like English but have a different meaning in standard Spanish, like using darle una apología to mean 'to give him an apology' instead of asking for forgiveness.

Llanito also uses some English phrases changed into Spanish. For example, te llamo p'atrás means 'I'll call you back', copying the English phrase. Other examples include dar p'atrás ('to give back'), venir p'atrás ('to come back'), hablar p'atrás ('to talk back'), and pagar p'atrás ('to pay back'). These phrases use p'atrás to mimic English words ending in 'back'.

There are also phrases in Llanito that mix Spanish and English in fun ways. For example, don't give me the tin comes from the Spanish no me des la lata, meaning 'stop annoying me'. Another fun phrase is what a cachon-finger!, which playfully uses parts of Spanish and English to mean 'what a joke!'

Some local expressions in Llanito are special to Gibraltar. One example is ¿tú quién te crees que eres? ¿El hijo del Melbil?, used when someone is acting too important. This phrase plays on the name 'Melville', referring to a famous British leader from the past.

Linguistic research

Laura Wright, an English professor at the University of Cambridge, began studying the Llanito language in 2022 with Sophie Macdonald, a Gibraltarian student. Though Wright’s request for funding was not approved, she encouraged a minister to include protecting Llanito in his election plans. She is supported by local writer M. G. Sanchez.

Broadcasting

The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation has shown shows in Llanito. One of these shows is called Talk About Town. In this show, three hosts talk about local issues, from small things like needing new street signs to bigger topics about politics.

There was also a cooking show called Pepe's Pot that used Llanito too.

Film

A documentary from 2011 called People of the Rock: The Llanitos of Gibraltar talks about Llanito’s special way of speaking and the culture of the people who use it. The film has conversations with Pepe Palmero, Kaiane Aldorino, and Tito Vallejo.