Study reveals how a brand new 'language' is gradually developing in the United States

We, humans, speak different languages that have evolved over the centuries. Various factors, such as cultural influences and societal changes, have also impacted the development of the English language. However, a recent study has revealed how the slight alterations in English, spoken mostly in a part of America, give rise to a brand new English dialect. The new dialect is emerging due to the intermingling of Spanish and English speakers in some regions of Miami, according to IFL Science. It is influenced heavily by Spanish and is a result of the growing population of immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries to Southern Florida.

Miami is one of the cities in America known for its large bilingual population. Most of the Miami residents are comprised of Hispanic and Latino people. The new dialect developed over decades has entwined Spanish and American English and has its own phrases and expressions that almost sound like a brand-new language. A team of linguists from the Florida International University in Miami shared that this new development is an example of how languages spoken by us are constantly shape-shifting and evolving. 

"All words, dialects, and languages have a history," Professor Phillip M. Carter, the director of the Center for Humanities in an Urban Environment at the Florida International University, told the outlet. "In Miami, there are many ways of speaking English. The variety we have been studying for the past 10 years or so is the main language variety of people born in South Florida in Latino-majority communities. The variety is characterized by some unique but ultimately minor pronunciations, some minor grammatical differences, and word differences, which are influenced by the longstanding presence of Spanish in South Florida."

"When we conduct research like this, it's a reminder there aren't 'real' words or 'pretend' words. There are only words. And all the words come from somewhere and someplace," Florida International University's sociolinguist, Phillip Carter, the lead author of a study published in "English World Wide," said per FIU News. "Every word has a history. That goes for all words spoken in Miami." Carter studied the changes in the English spoken in Miami and found subtle structural influences from Spanish in it. "There's not a single language that doesn't have words borrowed from another language," Carter mentioned. "Borrowing is an inescapable reality of the world's languages. When you have two languages spoken by most of the population, you're going to have a lot of interesting language contact happening."

These dialects are not only used by bilingual speakers, but native English speakers have started using them frequently as well. Carter teamed up with another linguist, Kristen D'Allessandro Merii, in 2022 to evaluate and document Spanish-origin calques in the English spoken in South Florida, per the outlet. The study was conducted on 33 people in Miami and included a mix of first-generation Cuban Americans, second-generation Cuban Americans and non-Cuban Hispanic people. They were made to rate more than 50 sentences that follow the typical Miami dialect and categorize them as "perfect," "okay," "awkward" or "horrible."

The dialect sounded typically "natural" to those residing in Miami, but the people who came from outside found the dialect unusual. "I want Miami English to lose its stigma because Miami English is someone's home language variety. It's the language people learn from their parents, that they use in school, and hear in their community. It's the language variety they developed their identity in, developed their friendships in and found love in. Why should that be stigmatized?" Carter concluded. A video compiling the common expression that can be heard locally in Miami was uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Florida International University.