What language is spoken in Mexico? What language is spoken in Mexico? National language of Mexico
The second article of the basic law of this country defines it as a multicultural state that recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to preserve and develop their own dialects and dialects, and therefore there is no official state language of Mexico. But most residents of the country of tequila and cacti still prefer Spanish.
Some statistics and facts
- The Mexican government recognizes the existence of 68 national languages as a supplement to Spanish.
- From 10 to 15 percent of the country's residents, according to various sources, consider themselves Indians.
- In total, the country is home to about 6 million people who are native speakers.
- The most large group indigenous speakers - descendants of Indians who speak Nahuatl.
- The first attempts to introduce Spanish into Mexico were made in the 16th century.
- Over the 150 years from the beginning of the 19th century to the mid-20th century, the number of Mexicans speaking ancestral languages fell from 60% to 6% of total number residents of the country.
The percentage of Mexican citizens who speak English is quite large. This is due to the close proximity and frequent seasonal work of Mexicans in factories and farms in the United States.
Lost in translation
Even visitors to Mexico who speak modern Spanish may experience certain difficulties in understanding here. Certain changes have occurred in the local Spanish system, resulting in the sound individual sounds only vaguely resembles today the classics of the language widespread in the Pyrenees. At the same time, some linguists consider the state language of Mexico to be very conservative, since in everyday use it preserves words that the Spaniards have considered archaisms for two hundred years and no longer use in their own speech.
Note to tourists
When traveling to Mexico, be prepared for the fact that English-speaking hotel or restaurant staff are only found in major cities and tourist resorts. In places where independent travelers prefer to navigate their routes, the percentage of such polyglots is negligible. The menu in a cafe away from the main streets of even the capital no longer contains the names of dishes in English, and it will be impossible to explain your gastronomic preferences to the waiter.
In general, a Russian-Spanish phrasebook on a trip can make a tourist’s life much easier, especially since Mexicans are very sociable, open and friendly.
Mexico is one of ancient countries with a rich history and numerous peoples who have lived on its territory since ancient times. It ranks third after the United States in terms of the number of people living on its territory.
Initially, Indians lived in this country; this continued for many thousands of years until it was settled by Africans and settlers from Europe. This determined the current composition of the country's population, the vast majority of which are mestizos and mulattoes, born as a result of mixing of blood and international marriages. Therefore, there are many languages spoken in modern Mexico.
Tourists who are preparing to travel to this country often wonder what language is the official language, what dialects are still spoken by the local population, and whether it is possible to communicate with Mexicans in English.
Brief history
To understand Mexico's linguistic diversity, let's look at its history. The Indians, who mostly inhabited the entire territory of the country until the 16th century, spoke a huge number Mexican dialects, their number reached several dozen. Dialects and national languages differed from each other in different regions of the country. So, residents of the center of the country said in Maaya language, and in the north the most common was Navajo. However, after the active settlement of the country by Europeans began in the 16th century, the overwhelming majority of the population began to speak in Spanish already by 1750 - 60.
During the settlement process, Europeans brought not only their languages to Mexico, but also diseases to which the indigenous population there was no immunity. Among the local population, infant mortality increased, which could not but affect the numerical ratio different nations Mexico. This was the reason sharp decline number of Indians. However, the remaining indigenous population did not stop speaking their languages, and the Spaniards did not have the goal of getting rid of Indian dialects. Therefore, to this day, the ancient Mexican dialects of the local population exert their influence on the generally accepted national one and give it a unique color.
In modern Mexico share of adverbs and Indian alphabets is about 8–10%, which is quite a lot.
Even Spanish in Mexico has its own peculiarity. It is similar to the Spanish spoken in Madrid itself four centuries ago, because in the Mexican territories it has not received such active development as in its native Spain. Because of this, the seemingly same language in these two countries is very different. This is associated with the emergence of such a concept as “Mexican Spanish”.
Although the majority believes that Spanish is the official language of the country, there is no such clause in Mexican legislation. The constitution states that due to the multinationality of the country, Spanish and Mexican languages act on equal terms as official.
Most of the population, of course, speaks Spanish. Arriving in this country, you may not hear any other speech at all, the Spanish language is so widespread here. However, at the state level in this country, the right of indigenous peoples to submit official documents and requests to government agencies in Mexican languages is enshrined, and the government agency is obliged to provide answers to them to the population.
Modern Spanish in Mexico is a mixture of dialects that emerged as a result of mixing with local dialects and have become a kind of cultural heritage of this country. It is spoken by about 130 million people, not only at home, but also in the United States. This number is even more quantity speakers in Spain. Approximately 30 million people abroad continue to speak their native language and develop it. In the United States, educational programs and courses for teaching Spanish are even being introduced.
Mexican local languages and dialects
In Mexico, the indigenous population continues to use Mexican dialects and dialects. Now there are about 7 million people in the state who do not use Spanish in their speech. This is quite an impressive figure, even though the nationality of the Indians is twice as high. larger number people.
Most often, the local population speaks the following Mexican dialects:
In Mexico, the historically established division of dialects and dialects throughout the country remains. In the south you can most often hear from locals Nahuatl in the states of Morelos, Hildago and others. The majority of the population speaking this dialect lives in rural areas. It continues to be spoken by about one and a half million people and is the most widespread among Mexican languages.
About 800 thousand people still continue to speak Maaya Taan dialect, which remained a legacy from the Mayan civilization. This dialect even spread to other states. Previously, it was spoken only in its homeland - the Yucotan Peninsula, and later, as a result of migrations and relocations, it appeared in Guatemala and other neighboring countries.
Mixtec language ranks third among the surviving Mexican dialects in terms of prevalence. It is spoken by about 500 thousand Mexicans living in the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca.
At the state level, it is stipulated that all Mexicans can speak any native language, and their total number is more than 60. There are also very few, but in Mexico even a special direction has been allocated by law for the maintenance and development of ancient local dialects, and educational and cultural events are held.
Do Mexicans speak English?
English is the most international language, so before traveling to this state, tourists often look for information about whether it is spoken in Mexico.
Of course, Mexico is actively developing, and the young population speaks English well and even in Portuguese and French. Therefore, if you only know English and you need to ask something on the street, Mexicans will understand you and will be able to help and explain something.
Tourism in the country is developing, and when recruiting personnel for restaurants and hotels, employers pay attention to ensuring that the candidate knows foreign languages:
Russian tourists may be pleasantly surprised that in some luxury hotels or restaurants the staff will communicate with them in Russian! All entertainment events and excursions prepared specifically for tourists are conducted in English, so there should be no language barrier. In any case, sign language helps in different situations, even now, when people travel a lot and visit countries with new cultures.
Despite the colloquial differences in the population of Mexico, all its inhabitants are united by their love for their country and an incredibly colorful culture, which attracts many tourists to the country every year.
Mexico is very popular among tourists from all over the world. This state is known not only for a huge number of various attractions, but also for its developed tourist infrastructure. In addition, Mexico, although not often, is chosen as a country for immigration. Of course, in order to feel comfortable in this country, you need to know what language is spoken in Mexico.
Mexican Spanish
The United Mexican States is a multicultural state that recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to maintain and develop their own dialects. The main language in the country is Spanish – it is spoken by about 90% of the population. To understand why Spanish is spoken in Mexico, you need to look at history. In 1521, Spanish colonialists arrived in Mexico City (formerly Tenochtitlan), who introduced and spread their language throughout the state. As a result of intensive interracial contacts and the birth of children (mixed race), the Creole (Mexican) Spanish language began to form.
Mexican Spanish is the most widely spoken variety of Spanish. It is understood not only in its historical homeland, but throughout Latin America, as well as in the USA. However, Spanish and mexican language and are not the same thing. Thus, the formation of Mexican Spanish was significantly influenced by its proximity to the United States.
Mexican Spanish is the native language of Mexico. It is spoken by approximately 125 million people. Of these, more than 100 million live in the state itself and about 25 million in the United States (mainly in the border areas of Texas, California, Arizona, etc.).
National language of Mexico
The United Mexican States pursues a policy of bilingualism - this is stated in the country's Constitution. Therefore, speaking about which language is the official language in Mexico, it should be noted that the government of the country recognizes, in addition to Spanish, 68 more local dialects. At the same time, many consider Spanish to be the official language. However, this is an erroneous opinion, since there is no such definition in the country’s legislation.
When answering the question about which language is the official language in Mexico, one should again refer to the Constitution of the country, which states that due to the multinationality of the state, Spanish and local dialects have equal rights as official languages.
And this despite the fact that dialects are spoken by only 6% of the population.
In 2003, the Mexican Congress adopted a decision to support the law on the linguistic rights of indigenous peoples, which established the right of the local population to use their native speech when communicating with authorities and preparing official documents. And yet the de facto national language in this state is Spanish. 
Dialects of local languages in Mexico
Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the United Mexican States, local residents spoke Indian languages. However, this had virtually no effect on the grammatical and phonological level of Spanish, although linguists still recognize their influence on the lexical composition of speech.
The most common Indian languages in Mexico are:
- Nahuatl (Aztec group);
- Yucatecan (from the group of languages of the Mayan Indians);
- Mixtec;
- Zapotec;
- Tzeltalian;
- Tzotzil.
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There are 364 different dialects in the state, with significant differences. For example, Nahuatl is the language of the Aztec empire. It is spoken by about one and a half million people. However, it is highly fragmented geographically. But the largest adjacent dialect is Yucatecan, which is spoken by about 800 thousand people. It is used on the Yucatan Peninsula. Therefore, it is quite difficult to answer unequivocally what language is spoken in Mexico.
Other popular languages
The United Mexican States is one of the most developed countries Latin America, which annually attracts huge amount tourists from all over the world. Therefore, for those who have never been to this country, it is important to know what other language, besides Spanish, is understood in this state.
For example, English in Mexico is not widely spoken in all states, and you need to be prepared for this. However, in lately thanks to active development tourism sector and improving the level of service to travelers, employers began to attach great importance to the proficiency of applicants for work in restaurants and hotels in English, Italian, German, French and Portuguese. Moreover, in some luxury hotel complexes the staff even speak Russian. 
When going on a trip, tourists are interested in what is the main language in Mexico City. As throughout the state, the vast majority of residents speak Spanish. However, in this city you can also meet many people who speak English. The same goes for other cities such as Palenque, Villahermosa, Campeche and Cancun. But if you go to the south, then knowledge of Spanish is already required.
It should be noted that most excursions and entertainment events specially prepared for tourists are conducted in English.
Spanish language courses
Mexico is a leader in providing Spanish learning opportunities in Latin America, with students from all over the world taking Spanish courses here. Language schools and the courses provide an opportunity not only to quickly and effectively learn Spanish, but also to become better acquainted with the culture of this distant state.
Language schools in the United Mexican States are located in Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen. They offer various programs, however, standard and intensive courses are in greatest demand.
Mexico: Video
Common phrases |
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Please | por favor |
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Sorry | sorry |
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Hello | ||
Goodbye | ||
I don't understand | but comprendo |
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What is your name? | cual es tu nombre? | Qual estu nombre? |
How are you? | como esta usted? | Como esta usted? |
Where is the toilet here? | donde esta Servicio | Dondeesta servio? |
What is the price? | quanto es? |
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One ticket to… | un bigietto |
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What time is it? | Ke ora es? |
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No smoking | proivido fumar |
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Do you speak English? | Abla Ingles? |
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Where is it located? | dondeesta? |
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Hotel |
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I need to order a room | una abitasyon |
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I want to pay the bill | la cuenta, por favor | La Cuenta, Port Favor |
passaporte |
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Room, number | Habitacion |
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Shop (shopping) |
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Cash | en effective |
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By card | con tarheta |
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Pack | ||
No change | sin tener |
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desconto |
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Very expensive | ||
Transport |
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Trolleybus | trolleybus |
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Stop | ||
Please make a stop | pare aqui, por favor | pare aki por favor |
Arrival | ||
Departure | ||
Airport | aeropuerto |
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Emergency cases |
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Help me | ||
Fire service | ||
Ambulance | outpatient |
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Hospital | hospital |
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porosament |
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pharmacy |
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Restaurant |
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I want to book a table | quiero reservar una mesa | quiero rreservar una-mesa |
Check please (bill) | la cuenta, por favor | La Cuenta, Port Favor |
Language in Mexico
The official language in Mexico is Spanish (Mexican version of Spanish).
Currently, there are approximately 500 million people who speak Spanish, which is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
The Spanish alphabet consists of 30 letters similar to Latin, some of which are read and pronounced differently.
The Mexican version of the Spanish language contains features inherent in local Indian dialects, as a result of which not every Spaniard can understand many words from the vocabulary of Mexican residents.
Mexican Spanish is the native language of 125 million people living in Mexico (100 million people) and the United States (25 million people).
In addition to Spanish, which is spoken by the majority of the population, the country has indigenous languages (Indians), which have the status of national languages in Mexico, and are spoken by about 6 million local residents.
In the country, almost all local residents speak only their native language and do not know any second language.
Spanish is a fairly simple language, so learn a few words that will be useful to you when communicating with Mexicans, and also take a phrasebook with you.
There should be no communication problems in the tourist centers, as the staff speaks not only Spanish, but also English.
Spanish in Mexico(Spanish) Español mexico) - a group of adverbs, dialects and sociolects, constituting a special linguistic variant of the Spanish language in Mexico, based on the linguistic norm of the Mexican capital - the city of Mexico, which is the literary standard of this variant. The Spanish of most other regions of the country is fairly close to the metropolitan norm, with the exception of the specific dialects of Yucatan (Yucatan Spanish, based on Caribbean Spanish) and Chiapas (Central American Spanish). Mexican Spanish (as well as the various dialects within it) is the native language of approximately 125 million people (of which over 100 million live in Mexico and about 25 million in the United States, mainly in border areas of Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, etc.). d.). In Mexico, this variety of Spanish is the only official language spoken. federal level and one of the official (along with many Indian languages) at the state level. Mexican Spanish is also the basis for the Spanish language in the United States (see Spanish in the United States), widely used in the media (Univision, Telemundo, etc.), education, etc. In addition, Mexican Spanish is the most common language variety Spanish, since it is native to the majority of Mexicans, who make up about 29% of all Spanish speakers in the world. The main features of the Spanish language in Mexico are the clarity of pronunciation of consonants (especially d and s), closeness to the classical standard Spanish language of the 16th and 17th centuries, with a strong influence of autochonic languages in the field of vocabulary.
Encyclopedic YouTube
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Subtitles
- Seseo: Latin America as a whole, Canary Islands and Andalusia still do not distinguish s and interdental z, c(developed in Castile), which are all pronounced /s/. The sound [s] in Mexico is laminodental or apicodental and is identical to the Russian sound “s”, but [s] in the center and north of Spain took on an apical-alveolar character in the 19th-20th centuries, therefore for Russians and Mexicans in to the same degree it sounds like “sh” (the non-distinction between s and sh is also characteristic of the Greek language).
- Eizmo: There is no longer any difference in pronunciation y And ll; pronounced like /ʝ/ or Russian [Y].
- Unlike other varieties of Spanish, which tend to vocalize words according to the Italian model, final and intervocalic consonants in Mexico have a fairly clear quality, and vowels, on the contrary, are reduced: the pronunciation ["tRasts] for "trastes". This often happens on consonant contact [s] with [e], which is dropped. Philologist Bertil Malmberg gives the following example Rafael Lapesa, when many people do not pronounce vowels ( Cómo ’stás, “cómo estás’, nec’sito, ‘necesito’, palabr’s ‘palabras’, much’s gras’s, ‘muchas gracias’).
- Unlike Caribbean Spanish, final [s] (indicator plural and second person verbs) is always preserved.
- Intervocalic d tends to weaken, but is never completely reduced. Thus, "amado", "partido", "nada" do not become "amao", "partío" and "naa" as in Cuba or Venezuela.
- In much of Mexico, the distinctive [R] and [r] phonemes of Standard Spanish (especially the final -r) are often muted and the contrast between them is somewhat blurred: ["ka§ta]"carta" or "amor", while in the northern states the difference between /rr/ and /-r/ remains. In some areas of the Yucatan Peninsula, r even takes on a uvular quality (as in French).
- The sound (x) in Mexico is a fricative voiceless velar [x], as in ["kaxa] "caja" (box). This sound is in many ways similar to the Russian "kh" and is quite close to the similar sound of northern and central Spain, but, in contrast, it does not have hard uvular overtones. In Caribbean Spanish (which has a strong influence on the speech of the Atlantic coast of Mexico) due to the general weakening of consonants, the letter. j realized as a voiceless exhalation [h], found in Germanic languages.
- Within Mexican Spanish, which has a standardized version, there are a significant number of dialects (especially in the vernacular). Thus, Mexicans themselves, as a rule, can distinguish by ear the speech of people from the states of Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Yucatan, Mexico City itself, Jalisco, Chiapas or Veracruz.
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Spanish from scratch! Lesson 01 Greetings, introductions, farewells in Spanish
Alphabet of the Spanish Language ║ Lesson 1 ║ Spanish ║ For beginners from scratch ║ EL ALFABETO ESPAÑOL.
Story
Until the 16th century, the territory of modern Mexico was inhabited by quite numerous Indian tribes who spoke several dozen languages, the most common of which were: Navajo in the north, Maya, Nahuatl in the center and many others, which had a significant substrate influence on the Spanish language, which at first only a small but elite stratum of conquistadors, administrators and officials and immigrants from Spain, who made up about 5% of the population, spoke. However, thanks to its prestige and intensive interracial contacts (mixed race), Spanish became the main means of communication for the bulk of Mexicans already in the 17th century. Yet, unlike the United States, Mexico has never pursued a policy of genocide against the indigenous population. After a sharp reduction in the number of Indians due to diseases introduced by Europeans, their number stabilized already in the 17th-18th centuries. IN XIX-XX centuries the number of speakers of Indian languages in Mexico has increased quite significantly, although their share of the population as a whole has continued to decline due to even more rapid growth number of Hispanic mestizos. However, the influence of Amerindian languages, which are still spoken by 7-10% of Mexicans, remains significant. Many Mexicanisms, that is, words, phrases, phonetic and grammatical phenomena characteristic of the spoken Spanish language of Mexico, are explained precisely by the influence of autochonic languages. There are many others important factor in the formation and spread of Mexican Spanish was the status of the city of Mexico City itself (formerly Tenochtitlan), which throughout three centuries was the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (see New Spain and Colonies of Spain), as well as the largest in the Western Hemisphere, where a significant number of people arrived from Madrid and Spain in the 16th-17th centuries. Therefore, just like American English, Mexican Spanish is based mainly on the corresponding European analogue of the language of the 16th-17th centuries. The language, in fact, of Spain continued to develop further, but in Mexico it largely froze as if in a preserved form after gaining independence in early XIX century and developed in isolation from Spain.
Phonological features
In 1521, Spanish colonizers arrived in Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), thus introducing the Spanish language into the territory of modern Mexico. However, it took several generations for the zones to acquire their own personal linguistic character. This happened only 100 years later. Mexican Creole Spanish begins to emerge when the first children are born in Mexico, but their parents still spoke European Spanish, so their children could not yet be said to speak pure Mexican Spanish.
In Mexico, as subsequently in all other countries of Latin America, a number of changes are taking place in the Spanish language system: linguistic territories are expanding (as happened in Spain, when the Spanish language replaced other languages that existed on the Iberian Peninsula), phonological changes are taking place (by -the other begins to pronounce j, the sound θ gradually disappears and is replaced by s, phonetic adaptation of words borrowed from Indian languages occurs), etc.
One of the first impressions that modern Mexican Spanish can make on an observer is that it is “conservative.” In the literary texts of Spanish writers of the 16th and 17th centuries, one can find words that today in Spain are archaisms and are practically unrecognizable to native speakers, or are used extremely rarely. In Mexico these words continue to be used and are not perceived as archaic. Here are some examples of such lexical units:
| Mexican word (is archaic in the Castilian version) |
Equivalent in Castilian version Spanish |
Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Aburricion | Aburrimiento | Boredom, annoyance |
| Alzarse | Sublevarse | Revolt, rebel |
| Amarrar | Atar | tie, connect |
| Anafre | Hornillo | Portable oven |
| Apeñuscarse | Apiñarse | crowd, crowd |
| Balde (para agua) | Cubo | Bucket, tub |
| Botar | Tirar | Throw away, throw away |
| Chabacano | Albaricoque | Apricot |
| Chapa | Cerradura | Lock |
| Chicharo | Guisante | Peas |
| Cobija | Manta | Blanket |
| Conyo | Konna | Buddy |
| Despacio (hablar despacio) | En voz baja | Quiet (speak quietly) |
| Dilatar | Tardar | To be delayed, to be late |
| Droga | Deuda | Duty |
| Durazno | Melocoton | Peach |
| Ensartar (la aguja) | Enhebrar | Thread a needle) |
| Esculcar | Registrar | Search, rummage (in pocket) |
| Expandir | Extender | Expand, spread |
| Frijol | Judía, habichuela | Beans |
| Hambreado | Hambriento | Hungry |
| Postergar | Aplazar, diferir | Save |
| Prieto | Moreno | Dark |
| Recibirse | Graduarse | Get a degree |
| Renco | Cojo | Lame |
| Resfrio | Resfriado | Cold, runny nose |
| Retobado | Rezongon | Grouchy |
| Rezago | Atraso | Delay, tardiness |
| Zonzo | Tonto | Stupid, bad |
It's just small quantity words currently used in Mexican Spanish that have fallen into disuse in the Iberian Peninsula.
The presence of such a lexical layer has given rise to the erroneous view among many linguists of the Mexican version of the Spanish language as an archaic variant (Wagner, 1949; Zamora Vicente, 1974; etc.). However, Moreno de Alba writes about this: “The vocabulary of the Spanish language is the complete sum of all the vocabulary of all its dialects (geographical, historical and social). Therefore, the problem of so-called archaisms must be reconsidered. Of course, there are archaisms in the strict sense of the word and these would be linguistic phenomena that are used sporadically and have disappeared from the entire Spanish language, such as the verb catar meaning “to see” or yantar meaning “to eat”. But there is also an infinite number of archaisms in a relative sense, which, although used in some dialects, have ceased to be the norm in others. Thus, the word estafeta can be perceived as an archaism by Latin Americans, ... and the vocabula prieto will be so for the Spaniards" (Moreno de Alba, 2001: 264 - 265). Thus, these words are archaisms in the Castilian version of the Spanish language, while in the Mexican version they are commonly used and cannot be regarded as archaic.
It is known that the Indian languages that dominated the territory of what is now Mexico before the arrival of the Spaniards had almost no impact on the phonological and grammatical level of the Spanish language in Mexico. On the other hand, all linguists recognize their influence on the lexical composition of the language. Thus, in the Spanish language of Mexico we can find a huge number of Indianisms, in particular those originating from the Nahuatl language. These are mainly words related to flora and fauna. Here are some of them:
| Indianisms | Translation |
|---|---|
| Aguacate | Avocado |
| Ahuehuete | |
| Cacahuate | Peanut |
| Cacao | Cocoa |
| Chayote | Chayote (tree and fruit) |
| Chile | Indian pepper |
| Copal | Copal, copal gum, leguminous plant |
| Coyote | Coyote |
| Mezcal | Type of alcoholic drink |
| Ocelote | Ocelot |
| Quetzal | Quetzal (bird) |
| Tomate | |
| Zapote | Sapotle tree, akhras, sapota (fruit of the tree, a genus of oblong apple) |
A large number of Indianisms registered in general dictionaries and in dictionaries of regionalisms, may suggest that the Indian component is the most important in Latin American national varieties of the Spanish language. It must be taken into account that when compiling dictionaries, authors start from written sources (chronicles, letters, protocols, memoirs, documents, etc.), collecting all found autochthonous words, including toponyms, anthroponyms and ethnonyms. However, all these much-needed data for diachronic research distort linguistic reality when conducting research in a synchronous manner, forcing many researchers to believe that all Indianisms registered in dictionaries are actively used in speech in a particular country. Thus, Dario Rubio believed that such a large number of Nahuatlism in Mexico would “cause a truly terrible chaos” that would make communication between Mexicans difficult (Rubio, 1990: XXII). In fact, many words recorded in dictionaries may not even be known to Mexicans, or they may know them passively, that is, know them but never use them in speech. Mexican linguist Lope Blanche, in his work “Indian Vocabulary in the Spanish Language of Mexico” (1969), divides the Nahuatlisms existing in the Mexican version into six groups. Below are some examples:
| Vocable | Translation |
|---|---|
| Group 1. Vocabularies known to absolutely everyone (99-100% of Mexicans) | |
| Aguacate | Avocado |
| Cacahuate | Peanut |
| Cacao | Cocoa |
| Coyote | Coyote |
| Cuate | Friend, buddy |
| Chamaco | Boy, child |
| Chicle | Chewing gum |
| Chihuahua | Dog breed in Mexico |
| Chile | A variety of hot pepper |
| Chocolate | Chocolate |
| Escuincle | little child |
| Guajolote | Turkey |
| Jitomate | Tomato (red) |
| Papalote | Kite |
| Petatearse | Die |
| Popote | Drinking straw |
| Pozole | Posole (national Mexican dish) |
| Tamal | National Mexican dish |
| Tequila | Tequila |
| Tomate | Green tomato (a type of cooking tomato) |
| Group 2. Vocabularies that are known to almost all Mexicans (85-98%) | |
| Ahuehuete | A type of tree of great height |
| Ajolote | Mexican amphibian |
| Ayate | Ayate (rarely fiber fabric from agave) |
| Chamagoso | Sloppy, dirty |
| Mapache | American badger |
| Mezquite | American acacia genus |
| Olote | Corn cob without grains |
| Piocha | Goatee, goatee |
| Group 3. Vocabularies known to half of the speakers (50-85%) | |
| Chachalaca | Mexican bird of the gallinaceae family |
| Jicote | A species of wasp |
| Quetzal | Quetzal (bird) |
| Tiza | Chalk |
| Tlaco | Ancient coin |
| Group 4. Little-known vocables (25-50%) | |
| Acocil | Lobster size 3-6 cm |
| Colote | Corn storage |
| Achahuisclarse | Being affected by aphids |
| Jilotear | Ripen, fill (about corn) |
| Nauyaca | Naujaca (poisonous snake) |
| Group 5. Very little-known vocables (2-25%) | |
| Ayacahuite | Pine (species) |
| Cuescomate | Corn Barn |
| Juil | Carp (species) |
| Tepeguaje | Stubborn, persistent |
| Aguate | Small sharp spine (on the trunk of a cactus) |
| Group 6. Almost unknown vocables (0-1%) | |
| Cuitla | Bird droppings |
| Pizote | One of the mammals |
| Pascle | Thick ash-green moss (used as holiday decoration in the house) |
| Yagual | Roller (for carrying weights on the head) |
| Zontle | Sonte (unit of counting corn, fruits, etc.) |
It should be noted that Nahuatlism, being an important factor in the Mexican version of the Spanish language, is currently showing a tendency towards its disappearance due to constant changes in life, economy and education (Yakovleva, 2005:25). In addition to Nahuatlisms, the Mexican version of Spanish also contains borrowings from other Indian languages, for example, Mayan. Examples include words such as balac, chich, holoch, pibinal, tuch, xic. However, borrowings from the Mayan language are mainly present in the southeast of the country and are dialectal phenomena that are not part of the norm of the entire Mexican version of the Spanish language, which is based on the cultural speech of Mexico City. Therefore, we will not dwell in detail on these lexical units.
Coexisting with words of a conservative nature, in the Spanish language of Mexico there are currently a large number of neologisms, that is, vocables that follow an American path that is different from the European one.
In particular, in the Mexican version we can hear anglicisms that are not registered in dictionaries, but dominate in speech over common Spanish words. Such anglicisms are absent in other national varieties of the Spanish language. Examples include words such as:
Many philologists, writers and cultural figures are concerned about the unjustified and excessive inclusion of English vocabulary in everyday life and oppose its negative consequences, considering this phenomenon a reflection of the political, economic, scientific and technical expansion of the United States and its partners, a consequence of Americanization popular culture Mexico. Quite often you can hear the opinion that the abundance of Anglicisms is one of the distinctive features Spanish in Mexico (Lopez Rodriguez, 1982). However, Lope Blanche, in the article “Anglicisms in the Cultural Norm of Mexico,” states the following: “Mexico is a country overly susceptible to contamination by the English language. Being a neighbor to the United States, it has a border with them that is more than 2,500 km long. It maintains close economic relations with its powerful neighbor. It receives a significant number of American tourists every year, and hundreds of thousands of Mexicans go temporarily to work in the United States. English language most studied foreign language in Mexico. ... However, it is quite possible that the Spanish language of Mexico does not differ in this respect from other Spanish-speaking countries much more distant geographically, historically and politically from the United States" (Lope Blanch, 1982: 32 - 33).
When researching cultural speech Mexico City within the framework of the “Project for Collaborative Research on Cultural language norm main cities of Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula”, the total number of registered Anglicisms was 170 vocables, which is 4% of the 4452 questions of the questionnaire used at that time. However, not all of these Anglicisms are used with the same frequency in Mexico.
Lope Blanche divides Anglicisms into 5 groups.
- Commonly used anglicisms: basquetbol, bateo, beisbol, bikini, boxeo, closet, champú, coctel, cheque, elevador, emergencia, esmoquin, futbol, gol, líder, refrigerador, supermercado, etc.
- Frequently used anglicisms: bar, bermudas, bistec, chequera, jochey, kinder, poncharse, ponchada, shorts, etc.
- Anglicisms of medium frequency: barman, manager, porter, túnel, videotape, zípper, etc.
- Little-used anglicisms: bilet, blazer, lonch, mofle, ofside, standar, stewardess, stop, tándem, etc.
- Spontaneous anglicisms: bartender, comics, game, gorra de golf, locker, magazine, pull-over, rosbif, etc.
One third of Anglicisms denote concepts related to sports. In second place are words related to technology, followed by vocabulary related to clothing and food. However, despite the geographical proximity of Mexico and the United States, the Spanish language of Mexico lacks a number of anglicisms that are actively used in other Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain. We are talking about words such as clown (payaso), bacon (tocino), espíquer (locutor), shut (tiro, disparo), water (excusado), autostop (aventón), aparcar / parquear (estacionar), etc.
Thus, Mexican Spanish has anglicisms. However, their number in cultural speech does not differ much from other national varieties of the language.
