Bozal Spanish is a possible extinct

Spanish-based creole language A Spanish creole, or Spanish-based creole language, is a creole language (contact language with native speakers) for which Spanish serves as its substantial '' lexifier''. A number of creole languages are influenced to varying degrees by the Sp ...

or pidgin that may have been a mixture of

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, Can ...

and

Kikongo Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...

, with

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

influences. Attestation is insufficient to indicate whether Bozal Spanish was ever a single, coherent or stable language, or if the term merely referred to any idiolect of Spanish that included African elements.

Etymology

''Bozal'' is the Spanish word for " muzzle", and shares it etymology with the word

bosal A bosal (, , or ) is a type of noseband used on the classic hackamore of the '' vaquero'' tradition. It is usually made of braided rawhide and is fitted to the horse in a manner that allows it to rest quietly until the rider uses the reins ...

. In their New World colonies, the Spaniards distinguished between '' negros ladinos''
esclavo ladino
' in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española. ("Latinate Negros", those who had spent more than a year in a Spanish-speaking territory) and ''negros bozales'' (wild, untamed Negroes; those born in or freshly arrived from Africa). Similarly, the Portuguese distinguished between (tamed,

domesticated Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. A ...

Indians) and (untamed, wild Indians), and between or (Black creoles born in the territory of a European empire) and or (blacks born in Africa) ( has now become the main anti-black slur in

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

, whereas the Spanish cognate, ''

criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish race-based colonial caste system (the European descendants) Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South Ameri ...

'' came to refer to Hispanoamerican whites and castizos).

Historic use

Bozal Spanish was spoken by African slaves in

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 ...

,Clements, J. Clancy
"Bozal Spanish of Cuba"
''The Linguistic Legacy of Spanish and Portuguese'', Cambridge University Press, 2009. 9780511576171

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and other areas of South and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

from the 17th century up until its possible extinction at around 1850.Lipski, John M
"Where and how does bozal Spanish survive?"
''Spanish in Contact: Policy, Social and Linguistic Inquiries'', John Benjamins Publishing Co., 2007. Although Bozal Spanish is extinct as a language, its influence still exists. In some Cuban folk religious rituals today, people speak what they call "Bozal". Similarly, many songs of the

afro The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...

genre, which flourished in Cuba in the 1930s and '40s, contain lyrics reminiscent of the language. In

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

''esclavos bozales'' were slaves ("esclavos") brought from Africa, as opposed to those born in Puerto Rico from slaves. Such slaves spoke different languages, other than Spanish, which they eventually learned while enslaved. These slaves were primarily used in the fields and agriculture as opposed to those born under bondage who were generally used in domestic chores.Fernando Picó. ''Ponce y los rostros rayados: sociedad y esclavitud, 1800-1830.'' San Juan, Puerto Rico: Ediciones Huracán. 2012. p. 151.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bozal Spanish Afro-Cuban culture Afro–Puerto Rican Afro-Uruguayan culture Democratic Republic of the Congo diaspora Republic of the Congo diaspora History of Puerto Rico Kongo language Portuguese-Caribbean culture Spanish-based pidgins and creoles Languages extinct in the 1850s Languages of the African diaspora Spanish language in the Americas

Etymology

Historic use

See also

References