Thursday, March 23, 2006

Miami Dialects

Living in Miami, I have encountered various dialects of the English language that I've taught Asian students years ago.
Spanglish in itself I find quite a treat, being in the process of gaining proficiency in Spanish myself. And then there's the various delicious dialects, as Latino speakers from all over Central and South America have converged upon this city.

It is the way some common English phrases have been adapted that I find amusing. For example, in Miami "Hello" has been replaced by "What's up/How 'r ye doing/What's happening?"

It has evolved into a greeting, rather than a question following a greeting. I don't suppose anyone really wants to know how I'm doing. But lately the little devil on my shoulder has been working overtime. Now, whenever I get that response, I stop and explain in lenght about me and my pet iguana's well-being.

Imagine their awkwardness. Hehehe...

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