The Aché that unites us: Africanisms in Cuban Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

This work aims to present the African linguistic and cultural legacy in the lexicon of Cuban Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. Various words originating from African languages ​​spoken in sub-Saharan Africa (Mandinka, Yoruba, Ewe, Fon, Efik, Ibibio, Kikongo, and Kimbundu) were incorporated into the lexicon of Cuban Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese through loanwords and calques, a result of the linguistic contact that occurred during the transatlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries on both sides of the Atlantic (Valdés Bernal, 2005; Bonvini, 2014). The Africanisms used by speakers of Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese are part of their everyday language and are present in vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and slang. The preservation and dissemination of these lexical remnants in recent decades is mainly due to the ritual linguistic practices of religious traditions of African origin, especially Santería and Palo Monte in Cuba (Valdés Acosta, 2007) and the cults of Umbanda and Candomblé in Brazil (Petter, 2011; Castro, 2022). The predominantly African-derived vocabulary in the language of religious adherents shows a marked influence from Yoruba and Bantu cultures. It has even been observed that most of the lexemes used by Paleros are based on Kikongo, with phonetic and semantic adaptations (Fuentes Guerra; Schwegler, 2005). After presenting a general description of words of African origin in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, we will conclude with a didactic proposal consisting of a simple sequence of activities for working with African-derived vocabulary and culture in Spanish as a foreign language classes.