Main Street Gibraltar (1850s)
As we passed along we heard the confused sounds of half a dozen unknown languages, mixed with English, and the national dialects of Scotch and Irish soldiers. (Theodore Dwight) (see LINK)
The way Gibraltarians talk is known as Llanito, an odd word that can also refer to somebody who is a Gibraltarian. The origin of the word, as well as it spelling - some people prefer Yanito or Janito - is both controversial and difficult to pin down. Anja Kellermann in her ‘Language, Politics, and Identity in Gibraltar’ has identified three main types of theories as to how the word came about:
1. from a common first name such as Giovanni, or Johnny
2. from place names such as el llano
3. from other meanings of the word llano
To take them in order, the word Llanito seems to have an Italian flavour. It has therefore been suggested that it is derived from the diminutive of Giovanni, a very common Italian Christian name. Local historian Manuel Cavilla in his Diccionario Yanito is in no doubt that this is where the answer lies. To quote from his introduction to the first edition:
Los andaluces que con ellos convivían deben haberlo pronunciado ‘yani y no ‘llani’ y como diminutivo afectuoso, ‘yanito . . .
He may we be right as regards the origin of the word but his argument concerning its spelling is difficult to accept as I cannot see why the use of ‘y’ should be more Andalus than ‘ll’. Rather the opposite I would say. Besides there are various factors that mitigate against the distortion of Giovanni being the correct answer.
For example, a quick check through the census of the population taken in 1777 reveals that not a single person of Italian descent – and there were many including a hell of a lot of Genoese, – had Giovanni as a first name. By 1791 there were 13 and in 1878 only 10. During my research into my own genealogy I came across the first names of literally hundreds of relatives and close friends all of whom were originally from Genoa. Not a single one of them was called Giovanni. In other words there were simply not enough of us called Giovanni to make the name synonymous with an entire population.
Secondly, although perhaps less convincingly, according to Johannes Krammer in his book - ‘English and Spanish in Gibraltar’, the Genoese version of the Italian name ‘Gianni is pronounced as ‘dzani’ – and the ‘dz’ as a consonant is not part of either Gibraltarian or Andalusian Spanish. Hmmm . . . .
An alternative first name hypothesis is that Yanito derives from ‘Johnny’ which has been distorted by a Spanish pronunciation. The linguist John M. Lipsi has suggested that first name based ethnonyms such a choni and chone have been shown to derive from Johnny in various other places administered by the British during their days of Empire. According to Lipsi it is this reference to the occupiers rather than the local population, that may have been the source of Yanito.
For example, an article in the Sporting Magazine of 1839 includes the following:
Their surprise at the manner in which the horses took them actually knew no bounds . . . And now they see that Johnny (as they call us) can ride a. few, we trust that the Calpe Hunt will meet with still more favour in their sight, though, to do them justice, they never have been half so hostile to it as Johnny would be in his own country to any foreigners who might think fit to ride over his fields and fences, saying nothing of his corn or seeds.And another from a British Military man stationed in Gibraltar - Major Edward Napier - writing in 1840:
If at the last village we were annoyed by dogs, here we were equally so by a set of ragged urchins, offering their services to hold our horses whilst we refresh ourselves at the 'fonda,' and assailing us with incessant cries of 'Johnny, Johnny' . . the appellation bestowed near Gibraltar on every Englishman . . . .
A gathering of the unspeakable "Johnnys"and their womem gathering for the pursuit of the uneatable near Gibraltar (1860s)
Whether these examples suggest that the origins of Llanito however one spells it, can only be traced back to the beginning of the 19th century is a moot point. What it does show is that at least in the eyes of these two writers, it was the English rather than the Gibraltarians who were known as 'Johnnys' - and that it was the Spaniards who had come up with the name.
A local and rather more prosaic version of the above is that the corruption of Johnny to Yanito was a consequence of visits by British troops to the red light district of La Linea around a street named somewhat appropriately la Calle Gibraltar. It was a very popular explanation among Gibraltarians just after the Second World War - And you can read into that whatever you like. In any case there is something radically wrong with both theories, It has always been the Gibraltarians who have been known as Llanitos, not the Brits. As for our Colonial masters speaking our Giberish lingo? Not a chance.
La Calle Gibraltar (mid 20th century)
Yet another perhaps less well known theory is that offered by another Gibraltarian - Lionel Ullger. He suggests that the word derives from the English word 'Janitor'. The theory rests on the idea that a large number of the people who came into contact with the many Spaniards that came to work daily into Gibraltar were janitors, and that many of these would have been either Gibraltarian or English - hence an association between profession and nationality - Janitor - Llanito.
It is a nice idea in that the pronunciation of the two words is very similar. However, the theory depends on having a large number of Spanish blue-collar labourers working under Gibraltarians who were janitors. My own view is that it is far more likely that Spaniards would have worked under 'foremen' rather than 'janitors. In fact as far as I can tell, the later profession has never been much in demand in Gibraltar. I could be wrong.
First of all there is a curious suggestion by another local historian, Tito Vallejo. During the late 19th and early 20th century, large numbers of Spanish workers from the Campo Area were employed by the British military authorities in order to develop and enlarge the Gibraltar dockyards.
The still unfinished dockyards, dry docks, southern mole extentions and creation of a detached mole in 1904 - It took a hell of a lot of man-p0wer - most of it from our nearby Spanish neighbours - to carry out this job
As there was a serious lack of accommodation in both Gibraltar and Spain at the time these workers were forced to make their home in a shanty town at the foot of the Sierra Carbonera in a depression close to the Rock known as el llano or ‘the plain’. They called themselves la gente del llano and Vallejo suggests that they eventually came to be known as llanitos and that somehow the word came to refer not just to themselves but to the people who lived in the place where they worked and to their idiom.
The Neutral Ground and Spain from the Moorish Castle with Sierra Carbonera and el llano below it in the distance (Late 19th century)
I am not sure as to the historical accuracy of the above but it seems to me highly unlikely that the origins of the word Llanito lie here. For a start the psychology is wrong. Without going into the social and political whys and wherefores, Gibraltarians would never under any circumstances, confuse themselves with their Spanish neighbours. Also I suspect that the word Llanito predates the start of the work on the dockyards which began in 1890.
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Top - Spanish workers crossing the border in the morning to work in Gibraltar (1939)
Bottom - Spanish workers returning home in the evening from the Gibraltar Dockyard - several thousands would continue to be emplyed every day, long after its construction (1950s)
Another rather speculative place-name theory is offered by the persistant Johannes Krammer. He takes into account the fact that the bulk of the population of Gibraltar lived on the flatter parts of the town at the bottom section of the Rock.
The people who lived there may conceivably have chosen the name ‘llanitos’ to distinguish themselves from others who lived further up the slopes. It would be a bit like the local reference to La gente de la Buena Vista or those people who lived on the upper reaches of the town with a view of the bay. As these people were not - as might have been expected - the most prosperous folk in Gibraltar, the term eventually came to be associated with people who were 'good for nothing.' A good example of our penchant for irony that I mentioneed earlier.
An engraving showing the town area practically retricted to the lower. more level sections of the Rock (1901 - From a painting by J.M.W. Turner)
Krammer has also come up with yet another even more outlandish explanation - the Arabic word, dzani which means ‘mountain side’ and has been known to have been used to denote people who live in or around a fortress. What attracts Krammer to this theory is the fact that Arabic place names are very common in Spain – "Gibraltar" from "Jebel-Tarik" itself being one of them. The difficulty in accepting this theory is that it would mean that the word ‘Yanito’ would have been in common use long before our friend Admiral Rooke landed in Gibraltar in 1704 - and there is precious little evidence for this.
As regards theories concerning other meanings of the word llano there are at least two possibilities. The first goes like this. After Gibraltar was captured by the British, well-off people of whatever nationality were reluctant to settle on the Rock. The place therefore became populated by la gente llana or the riff-raff, giving rise to the word llanitos. In other words an insulting term created by an irate Spanish population who hoped to return soon.
The second - which in a sense is connected to the first - is concerned with the linguistic hypothesis that ‘Yanito’ as the name of the "language" precedes that of the name of the "people". The argument is that the local idiom – not long after 1704 - was seen as rather common and somewhat illiterate. This seems a reasonable assumption as many of the non-military inhabitants of the Rock at the time – and many years since then – were non-Spanish speakers like the Genoese, who because of the similarities between Italian and Spanish could speak some Spanish albeit badly. The origin of the word is therefore attributed to ‘llano’ meaning ‘plain or crude language’, a llanito being somebody who speaks in this way.
As regards the spelling of the word, I doubt whether there is much mileage in analyzing the different versions as each could easily be corruptions of each other. As such it does not surprise me that the more neutral - and less Spanish - Yanito is preferred by many Gibraltarians. Unfortunately this chosen usage does very little to explain anything.
Finally, it seems to me that the problem with all of these hypotheses is that none of them have been verified - and possibly never will. Unlike those incredible readers at the OED, nobody has ever been able to check when the word Llanito was first used. Also as Llanito is primordially a spoken language writers are always unsure as to whether Llanito versions should be spelt the way they are pronounced or in the way it might be in conventional Spanish. For example:
‘santificao’ or sanctificado’ meaning ‘certified’ - Spanish would be 'certificado'‘sansacabao’ or ‘sansacabado’ meaning ‘finished’ - Spanish would be 'terminado'
Officially and academically Llanito is neither a language nor a dialect and is linguistically defined mostly as a ‘code-switching’ system – in other words a method of communication in which people tend to use two languages within a single sentence: in this case Spanish and English.
Technically, code-switching implies the use of both languages in a syntactically and phonologically appropriate manner, and on the whole I think this is what Gibraltarians often do although not always. In fact, personally, I am not quite sure what the rules are:
For example:
‘I am going to see Mary para arreglar para mañana’Voy a ir a Mary to arrange for mañana’‘I am going to ver a Mary para arrange for tomorrow’.
Most Gibraltarians would probably feel quite at ease with the first sentence, less so with the second and perhaps even less with the third.
Also, code-switching does not necessarily involve distorting words of either language such as is apparently the case in Pidgin English or Creole and so forth. And yet it is quite clear that something of the sort does take place within the code-switching system in the spoken language of Gibraltar.
How Llanito works
The following is an analysis of various categories of words, phrases and expressions, used - or perhaps it would be safer to say, once used - by Gibraltarians when communicating informably with each other. These examples were once often included within the structure of a code-switching system which makes use of a species of UK English and Andalusian Spanish, the later of the variety spoken in the area known as el Campo de Gibraltar.
The following is an analysis of various categories of words, phrases and expressions, used - or perhaps it would be safer to say, once used - by Gibraltarians when communicating informably with each other. These examples were once often included within the structure of a code-switching system which makes use of a species of UK English and Andalusian Spanish, the later of the variety spoken in the area known as el Campo de Gibraltar.
El Campo de Gibraltar - Province of Cadiz
Mispronounced Spanish Words
These refer to a plethora of slightly distorted Spanish words. Some of them probably originate from the poorer areas of the Campo de Gibraltar: others may be uniquely Gibraltarian.
Aserga - acelga - spinach
Bomba - pompa - pump
Caramales - calamares - squid
Caravela - calavera - skull
Casadora - cazadora - leather jacket
Catapaso -cortepaso - fall
Maquearse - maquillarse - to make oneself up
Morcillones - mejillones - mussels
Mirlar - birlar - to nick
Moniato - boniato - sweet potato
Ombrigo - ombligo - belly button
Adding an A to a legitimate Spanish word
Adelante - delante - in front of
Afoto – foto - photo
Amoto - moto - motobike
Aojalá - ojalá - hopefully
English words used as if they were Spanish
As we can hardly have been able to anglicise Spanish without knowing English it is quite possible that these were introduced into Llanito when education began to improve and English was taught at school.
Apologia - disculpa - apology
Afordar - afford in English but no single word in Spanish
Aplicación - application - application
Batteria - pila - battery
As we can hardly have been able to anglicise Spanish without knowing English it is quite possible that these were introduced into Llanito when education began to improve and English was taught at school.
Apologia - disculpa - apology
Afordar - afford in English but no single word in Spanish
Aplicación - application - application
Batteria - pila - battery
Demostración - manifestación - Rally or political demonstration
Photo shows a pre WWII rally at Gibraltars main square (1934)
Editor - redactor - editor
Miembro - socio - member
Notorio - de mala reputación - notorious
Oditor - interventor - auditor
Orden - pedido - order (form)
Kaite - cometa - kite (See Gaite)
Checkear - quadrar - to check
Notorio - de mala reputación - notorious
Oditor - interventor - auditor
Orden - pedido - order (form)
Kaite - cometa - kite (See Gaite)
Checkear - quadrar - to check
Mispronounced English words used as if they were Spanish
An even more common phenomenon is the inclusion of grossly distorted English words pronounced as if they were Andalusian Spanish. The words are attributed gender, tense and so forth and can be used either quite unselfconsciously as if they were proper Spanish words or ironically.
It is impossible to count or classify these words as there are probably thousands of them. Usage depends on context and the individual. Similarly their use cannot always be attributed to ignorance. Nevertheless in many cases a Gibraltarian user might not be able to tell you what the correct Spanish word is although these types of words are far less prevalent today than they were in the past and are now often just used for humour or effect.
tipa – the teapot or even the coffee pot!
sili- ceiling -
suish – the switch - interuptor
chut – the shoot
manolo - manhole - tapa de la alcantarilla
An even more common phenomenon is the inclusion of grossly distorted English words pronounced as if they were Andalusian Spanish. The words are attributed gender, tense and so forth and can be used either quite unselfconsciously as if they were proper Spanish words or ironically.
It is impossible to count or classify these words as there are probably thousands of them. Usage depends on context and the individual. Similarly their use cannot always be attributed to ignorance. Nevertheless in many cases a Gibraltarian user might not be able to tell you what the correct Spanish word is although these types of words are far less prevalent today than they were in the past and are now often just used for humour or effect.
tipa – the teapot or even the coffee pot!
sili- ceiling -
suish – the switch - interuptor
chut – the shoot
manolo - manhole - tapa de la alcantarilla
Batear – to bat
The photo shows a friendly cricket match on one of the Naval Grounds - Personally, I would have preferred "me gusta mas el batting" que el bowling cuando juego al cricket"
Mispronounced English words for specific places used as if they were Spanish.
This is similar to the previous category but refers to actual place names and streets in Gibraltar. Many of these words probably originated from the large number of Spanish dockyard workers who once entered Gibraltar for many years on a daily basis.
This is similar to the previous category but refers to actual place names and streets in Gibraltar. Many of these words probably originated from the large number of Spanish dockyard workers who once entered Gibraltar for many years on a daily basis.
Focona - The frontier - aka Four Corners - the building with the fancy chimneys was the old passport office (1930s)
El dokya – The dockyard, dry docks, and harbour of Gibraltar where a large percentage of a work force running into thousands was Spanish (1930s)
Siete mil lei – City Mill Lane
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El Haristón - Irish Town - the name of a street in Gibraltar
El Apparó – The upper area of the Rock (of Gibraltar)
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Lo Humfri - The Alameda Housing Estate
The contractors were Messrs Humphrey's Ltd - My family lived in a flat in the block behind the tree in the middle. The smaller building in front is the local Fire Station
The contractors were Messrs Humphrey's Ltd - My family lived in a flat in the block behind the tree in the middle. The smaller building in front is the local Fire Station
Several Spanish words joined together to form a single word
Ponolove – pues no lo ves - don't you see?
Spanish words compressed to fewer syllables
Alme - hagame - do me (a favour )
Legitimate Spanish words used with different meaning
Alpiste – booze - bird seed
Apañao – had it, another thing coming - handy
Ponolove – pues no lo ves - don't you see?
Spanish words compressed to fewer syllables
Alme - hagame - do me (a favour )
Legitimate Spanish words used with different meaning
Alpiste – booze - bird seed
Apañao – had it, another thing coming - handy
Mispronounced words
Another variation relies on the fact that certain English and Spanish words sound roughly the same and have a similar meaning. In such cases the English pronunciation of the word is often preferred. It is nevertheless always pronounced with a Spanish accent.
It is quite possible that the Genoese language may have been responsible for these mispronunciations. All the ‘acc’ words shown below are pronounced with a hard ‘c’ in Italian. The theory, however, falls when applied to words such as ‘districto’ and ‘numbero’ since the Italian is the same as the Spanish.
Akselerar - accelerate
Akseptar – accept
Aksento - accent
Districto – district
Númbero - number
Another variation relies on the fact that certain English and Spanish words sound roughly the same and have a similar meaning. In such cases the English pronunciation of the word is often preferred. It is nevertheless always pronounced with a Spanish accent.
It is quite possible that the Genoese language may have been responsible for these mispronunciations. All the ‘acc’ words shown below are pronounced with a hard ‘c’ in Italian. The theory, however, falls when applied to words such as ‘districto’ and ‘numbero’ since the Italian is the same as the Spanish.
Akselerar - accelerate
Akseptar – accept
Aksento - accent
Districto – district
Númbero - number
Words incorrectly translated from the English into Spanish
These are often the result of a convoluted reasoning.
Aceitero - oil tanker - petrolero
These are often the result of a convoluted reasoning.
Aceitero - oil tanker - petrolero
Aceiteros in the Straits near Gibraltar
"Aceitero" - derives from "Aceite" which is Spanish for edible oil. The oil that these tankers carry, however, is petroleum oil which is why the proper Spanish term would be "Petrolero"
Aceite Gasto – castor oil
Pan de lata - tin loaf of bread
Pan de lata - tin loaf of bread
Words adapted from languages other than English or Spanish
Llanito makes use of a whole plethora of words which can be traced back to Italian, Genoese, Jewish, Catalan, Arabic and other origins. Quite a few of them are used as if they were legitimately Spanish. In fact a large proportion of the population may still think that they are authentically Spanish words. I know I did.
Abucha (French) - a command to lie down given to a dog
Chapeo (French) - hat (Spanish) sombrero
Chofe (French) - chauffeur - chofer
Bicéf (Arabic) - enough - (Spanish) bastante
Bóbili bóbili - de Bóbili bóbili (Arabic) - without paying
Majandush (Arabic) - not very much of
Acavalin (Genoese) - carried on somebody’s shoulders
Patuco ( Genoese) - boulder - (Spanish) roca
Mappa (Genoese) - hinge (Spanish) bisagra
Acavalin (Genoese) - carried on somebody’s shoulders
Patuco ( Genoese) - boulder - (Spanish) roca
Mappa (Genoese) - hinge (Spanish) bisagra
Mascon (Genoese - (Spanish) puñetazo - punch
Biscocho (Italian) - biscuit - (Spanish) galleta
Carpeta (Italian) - desk - (Spanish) escritorio
Minestra (Italian) - vegetable soup - minestroni
Picar a la puerta (Italian) - knock on the door - (Spanish) llamar
Biscocho (Italian) - biscuit - (Spanish) galleta
Carpeta (Italian) - desk - (Spanish) escritorio
Minestra (Italian) - vegetable soup - minestroni
Picar a la puerta (Italian) - knock on the door - (Spanish) llamar
Pastiso (Italian) - (Spanish ) - embrollo
Bizims (Jewish) - testicles
Maot (Jewish) - money
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Bizims (Jewish) - testicles
Maot (Jewish) - money
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Barracas (Italian) - tent - In Catalan Bay
Words that appear to be unique to Gibraltar
Despite our tendency to steal and corrupt everybody else’s words, we also use quite a number of them that are our very own creations.
Aliska for give it to me
Bollo for bread roll, dent
Camolla for back of the head
Piquis-labi for a delicious morsel of food
Pirule for a fifty-fifty chance
Pituso for a weakling
Despite our tendency to steal and corrupt everybody else’s words, we also use quite a number of them that are our very own creations.
Aliska for give it to me
Bollo for bread roll, dent
Camolla for back of the head
Piquis-labi for a delicious morsel of food
Pirule for a fifty-fifty chance
Pituso for a weakling
Camufla for an idiot
Chanfla for coins of little value
Chuchurrío for shrivelled
Chuchurrío for shrivelled
Phrases
We also seem to have a penchant for the creation of rolling phrases many of them based on similes, all of them unique to Gibraltar. Some are immediately identifiable as they use local landmarks or people to describe events or situations. Here are a few examples:
Ma pesao que la bolla del Kwarri - Camp Bay, a small beach on the western side of the Rock was known locally as el Kwarri because of a large quarry that was created above it in the early 20th century during the construction of the modern harbour and dry docks - Photo shows a garrison soldier guarding the steps the led down to it (Early 20th Century)
Más moscas que el caballo de Besure - Refers - unfairly - to the horse of a local gharry driver - Luis Martinez - who was known as "Besure" - the reasons for which are difficult to pin down (Mid 20th century)
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Ma viejo que la palmera del buleva hebreo - Older than the palm tree in the garden of the synagogue near the southern bulevard (top) - or
Ma viejo que las palmeras del buleva - Older than the palm trees in the northern bulevard (bottom)
Más años que el Utopia - The sinking of ther SS Utopia after colliding with a warship in Gibraltar harbour with the loss of hundreds of lives (1891 - Georgina Sherrif))
Más viejo que anda’ pa’lante (unknown)
Ponerse como Bachicha. (to gorge on food – Bachicha may have been a local
Phrases that are uniquely Gibraltarian
These phrases use either words which are specifically Gibraltarian or are of unknown origin.
Se armó un sipi-sape. - a fracas took place
Se armó un follin - a fracas took place - as against ‘follon’ which is legitimate Spanish)
Se armó un gori - el gori - a fracas took place
Iba a to mecate - he/she was going very fast
La gente del pish - posh people
These phrases use either words which are specifically Gibraltarian or are of unknown origin.
Se armó un sipi-sape. - a fracas took place
Se armó un follin - a fracas took place - as against ‘follon’ which is legitimate Spanish)
Se armó un gori - el gori - a fracas took place
Iba a to mecate - he/she was going very fast
La gente del pish - posh people
La Piedra Gorda - The fat stone - i.e. The Rock of Gibraltar
Phrases originally based on ignorance but used ironically thereafter.
Quien se ha creido que e? - el hijo del mebli? ( based on a rather aloof Major Melby )
El Aga Khan del gobernador - the governor's Aide-de-camp)
The bigin in the floor and the horse can't pass - Attributed to A gharry driver - possibly Besure - explaining why he could not continue - the 'bigin' being Llanito for a beam or a plank of wood which is "una biga" in Spanish
To end, I suspect Llanito is a dying phenomenon. As newer generations become progressively more and more exposed to 'traditional' English and Spanish - both via education and through radio and television - its peculiar usage will be replaced by more conventional speech patterns. Code switching as such will undoubtedly continue as is normal for most frontier town. But that peculiar idiom that we call Llanito will eventually become a curiosity of the past. A pity!
The following 'LINKS' might also be of interest
1. A Dictionary of Llanito
2. A Comparison between Llanito and other colloquialisms used in the Campo de Gibraltar