I am so intrigued as to how my students use “Spanglish” terms. Earlier this week I heard “cheatiando” and the ever-so popular “lockiado.” Another word commonly used it “so.” Kids throw the word in Spanish and English all the time. For example, “Maestra ibamos ir al parque para jugar pero hacia mucho frio so no fuimos.”

I’m starting to notice that the Spanglish terms students use are words that may not have a literal one word counterpart in English. Another word that comes to mind is “eskipea.” For instance, “Tenemos que eskipiar lineas cuando escribimos un ensayo.”

Though I am intrigued by Spanglish I also struggle with the way I identify with it. I grew up in Southern California and my parents speak Spanish beautifully. My extended family has always lived in Texas and use “Spanglish” terms. I remember as I child hearing Spanish in my house all the time, though my parents never asked us to speak in Spanish. I remeber seeing my abuelita smoke for the first time. I was so shocked, I said, “Abuelita tu smokas.” A toda la familia se les saileron las carcajadas! I was so embarressed. This experience was certainly not very encouraging to speak Spanish. At any rate, language and identity are two areas I plan to explore…….Feel free to share your experience with language and identity with me. I would love to hear them.