Saharan Spanish ( es, español saharaui) is the
variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
of the
Spanish language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
spoken in
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
and adjacent regions. This non-native variety is heavily influenced by both Spanish cultural links and a strong expatriate community who live in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
Hispanic America
The region known as Hispanic America (in Spanish called ''Hispanoamérica'' or ''América Hispana'') and historically as Spanish America (''América Española'') is the portion of the Americas comprising the Spanish-speaking countries of North, ...
, particularly
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
.
History
Although the native and dominant languages in
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
are
Hassaniya Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
and some
Berber languages
The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commun ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
was introduced by settlers in
Spanish West Africa
Spanish West Africa (, AOE) was a grouping of Spanish colonies along the Atlantic coast of northwest Africa. It was formed in 1946 by joining the southern zone of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco, the colony of Ifni and the colony of Spanish S ...
and
Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara ( es, Sahara Español; ar, الصحراء الإسبانية, As-Sahrā'a Al-Isbānīyah), officially the Spanish Possessions in the Sahara from 1884 to 1958 then Province of the Sahara between 1958 and 1976, was the name used f ...
in the 19th century.
Current usage and legal status
Spanish still influences Sahrawi society today and is the preferred
second language
A person's second language, or L2, is a language that is not the native language (first language or L1) of the speaker, but is learned later. A second language may be a neighbouring language, another language of the speaker's home country, or a fo ...
for acquisition and government.
Although Arabic and Spanish are both official languages of
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (; SADR; also romanized with Saharawi; ar, الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية ' es, República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), also known as Western Sahara, is a p ...
, Arabic is the sole official language in their
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
and the republic only uses Spanish for radio and TV broadcasts
and state journalism.
Spanish
vocabulary
A vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a person's language. A vocabulary, usually developed with age, serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the la ...
has entered Hassaniya, particularly in fields related to agriculture, automobiles, diet, and sanitation.
These loanwords are reinforced due to Sahrawis studying abroad in Hispanic lands and returning to either Western Sahara or the
Sahrawi refugee camps
The Sahrawi refugee camps (also romanized with Saharawi) in Tindouf, Algeria, are a collection of refugee camps set up in the Tindouf Province, Algeria in 1975–76 for Sahrawi refugees fleeing from Moroccan forces, who advanced through Wester ...
.
Lexicon
Regarding the lexicon, the preference for Hispanisms in the framework of technique and tools has been documented, just as other countries have opted for solutions of the colonizing language such as English or French.
See also
*
Western Saharan literature in Spanish
Western Saharan literature in Spanish is a small body of writing which has emerged in contemporary times mainly in the form of lyrics written by singers who have chosen the Spanish language as their medium and who use the Saharan Spanish dialect.
...
*
Equatoguinean Spanish
Equatoguinean Spanish ( es, Español ecuatoguineano) is the variety of Spanish spoken in Equatorial Guinea. This is the only Spanish variety that holds national official status in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is regulated by the Equatoguinean Academy ...
References
Further reading
*''Aaiun, gritando lo que se siente. Antología poética'' (2006), published by the University of Madrid,
*Awah, Bahia Mahmud. ''Literatura del Sahara Occidental. Breve estudio'' (2008),
*Awah, Bahia Mahmud. ''Tiris, rutas literarias'' (April 2016), published by Última Línea,
*Awah, Bahia Mahmud. ''Versos refugiados'' (2007), published by Universidad Alcalá De Henares,
*Awah, Bahia Mahmud and Moya, Conchi. ''El porvenir del español en el Sahara Occidental'' (2009),
*Budda, Abdurrahaman. ''Huellas del castellano en el dialecto del hassaniyya saharaui'' (2012).
*Gil, Victoria ''Retratos saharauis'' (2011)
*San Martin, Pablo and Bollig, Ben (eds.) ''Los colores de la espera : Antología de nueva poesía sahraui'' (2011), published in Hudson by Comodoro Rivadavia,
*''Treinta y uno, Thirty-One : Antología poetíca'' (2007), published by Sandblast and the University of Leeds, .
*''Um Draiga : Poesía sahraui contemporánea'' (2007), published in Zaragoza by Um Draiga.
*''VerSáhara, 2016. Varios autores canarios y saharauis'' (November 2016), published by Cuadernos de La Gueldera, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,
External links
Um Draiga a Sahrawi expatriate organization in Spain that publishes Spanish-language Sahrawi literature and poetry
{{use dmy dates, date=August 2018
Spanish dialects
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
Spanish language in Africa