African Language Influence

*30. View of stone wall ruins of slave quarters. - Hacienda Azucarera La Esperanza, Mill (Ruins), 2.65 miles North of PR Route 2 Bridge Over Manati River, Manati, Manati Municipio, PR.* Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Waves of resistance have an undeniable impact on the Puerto Rican identity. The Spanish and other European travelers brought enslaved African peoples to the island during the 16th century in an effort to substitute the Taíno population, which had suffered decimation as a result of of resistance, maltreatment, and European diseases. Enslaved African peoples brought an array of customs that drew from various African cultures, but studies suggest the vast majority were captured from the Yorubas and Igbo tribes in Nigeria and the Bantus from the Guineas. Linguists document the tonal language of Yoruba as the most present linguistic influence in Puerto Rico's mixed culture. Instruments such as barriles, a cuisine rooted in African ingredients, and dance forms such as bomba and plena are some of the enriching elements enslaved Africans peoples brought forward in the Puerto Rican identity.

The African language gave Puerto Rican Spanish a distinctive sound. Words like chévere (a colloquial word for something special or 'cool'), food like ñame (mashed yam), and gandules (pigeon peas) are all examples of Puerto Rican expressions with African origins.

The African languages in Puerto Rico also influenced the phonology of Puerto Rican Spanish with the deletion of final consonants like /s/ and /n/, and the alternation of the /l/ and /r/ consonants. These phonological changes are recognizable linguistic habits in Puerto Rican language. Much like with the Taíno language, traces of the African languages coexist in the Puerto Rican language.

The following items delve into the African linguistic influences that resulted from the importation of enslaved African people during the 16th century.

Resources

This print material links to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digitized versions are provided when available.

El elemento aforonegroide en el español de Puerto Rico by Manuel Alvarez Nazario
Call Number: F1983.N4 A55 OVERFLOWA5S
Published/Created: 1961
Manuel Alvarez Nazario expands on the African phonetic traces found in Puerto Rican Spanish due to the importation of negro slaves during Spanish rule on the island.
The history of Puerto Rico, from the Spanish discovery to the American occupation by R. A. Van Middeldyk
Call Number: F1973 .V26 LANDOVR Do Not Serve
Published/Created: 1903
Van Middeldyk's historical study of Puerto Rico delves into the introduction of enslaved Africans on the island as a preventative measure for the depopulation of the island.
Puerto Rico y su historia : investigaciones críticas by Salvador Brau
Call Number: F1971 .B825
Published/Created: 1894
This is the first important critical analysis of Puerto Rican historiography by a leading historian of Puerto Rico. Brau noted the limitations of earlier historical works on Puerto Rico and sought to correct the factual errors he found in them. In writing the work, Brau relied primarily on historical documents available at the Archivo General de las Indias in Spain, where he spent three years. The study discusses a wide diversity of Puerto Rican documents from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, which Brau uncovered at the Archivo.

The Library of Congress subscribes to a large number of diverse databases which are cataloged and accessible via the E-Resources Online Catalog (EROC). The following selected databases range from freely available to on-site available resources. The databases marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.

These selected resources offer materials related to the African influence in Puerto Rican Spanish language as a result of Spanish settlers bringing over enslaved Africans to Puerto Rico during their colonial period.

Freely Avilable Databases

HLAS Web This link opens in a new window

The following suggested material cover African elements found in the linguistic habits of Puerto Rico:
- Alvarez Nazario, Manuel. "La naturaleza del español que se habla en Puerto Rico." Ceiba, 1:1, agosto 1972/enero 1973, p. 11-23 (ISSN 0885-9906).
- Megenney, William W. Sub-Saharan influences in the lexicon of Puerto Rico. ;Orbis, 30:1/2, 1983, p. 214-260 (ISSN 0030-4379).
Updated regularly, HLAS Web provides rapid, comprehensive access to decades of scholarship on Latin America. The annotated citations describe books, journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, maps and atlases, and e-resources published from the 1960s to the present. HLAS Web is an ADA-compliant, mobile friendly site with robust search options and permalinks for each record. Older volumes are available in print and can be found in the Hispanic Reading Room. The print volume of the Handbook is published annually by the University of Texas Press.

Subscription Databases

Academic Search Complete External This link opens in a new window
The following suggested reading relates to Puerto Rico's African heritage:
- Murphy-Larronde, Suzanne. “Puerto Rico’s African Roots.” Americas, vol. 59, no. 5, Sept. 2007, pp. 4–5. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=28571564&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
ERIC External This link opens in a new window
The following suggested reading covers traditional Afro-Latino dances and their origins:
- Kennedy, James H. Bomba y Tambor: Bailes Tradicionales Afrolatinos ("Bomba" and "Tambor": Traditional Afrolatino Dances). , 1988. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/63210842?accountid=12084.
International African Bibliography External This link opens in a new window
The following suggested text presents the connection between African culture and Puerto Rico:
- González, J. Emanuel D. "Puerto Rico and Africa: elements of Yoruba culture." International African Bibliography Online. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. 1983. Retrieved 18 Nov. 2020, from https://db.degruyter.com/view/IABO/iab19840738.

Would you like to supplement your research? The following external websites can be useful for expanding your search on topics regarding African language influence in Puerto Rican linguistic habits as a consequence of English language policies in Puerto Rico.

Afropedea External
Afropedea seeks to be a living breathing knowledge-base on all topics and subject-matters dealing with the afro-descendant. Its purpose is to be an entity of practicality, entertainment, enlightenment, empowerment, provide context for the afro-descendant in the global scheme, and spread awareness and exposure to all afro-descendant community and culture.
Jorge Arce and Humano External
Jorge Arce and the Humano Multicultural Project will give audiences of all ages an opportunity for a unique exploration of Puerto Rican and Afro-Caribbean culture. Jorge presents music, dances, lore, stories and history handed down for over two centuries.
University of Arizona: Divergencias External
Divergencias: Revista de Estudios Lingüísticos y Literarios is a graduate student, peer-reviewed journal that explores all areas and periods of Hispanic, Luso-Brazilian and U.S. Hispanic literatures, culture, pedagogy, linguistics and literary theory, as well as creative writing pieces. The deadline for submissions for Volume 16 Issue 2 is September 4, 2018, and original pieces may be written in Spanish, Portuguese, or English.
¿Y Tu Agüela, Aonde Ejtá? by Fernando Fortunato Vizcarrondo External
Enjoy this famous poem by Fortunato which delves into the acceptance of African heritage and race in Puerto Rican identity, Notice how the author writes Spanish words following distinct and exaggerated Puerto Rican pronunciation.

This tab contains a compilation of subject areas related to African influence in Puerto Rico that link directly to the Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) database. HLAS includes annotated citations for books, journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, maps and atlases, and e-resources.

HLAS Web This link opens in a new window

The Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) is a bibliography on Latin America consisting of works selected and annotated by scholars. Edited by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress, the multidisciplinary Handbook alternates annually between the social sciences and the humanities. Each year, more than 130 academics from around the world choose between 2,000-3,000 works for inclusion in the Handbook. Continuously published since 1936, the Handbook offers Latin Americanists an essential guide to available resources.

Coverage: 1936-present
Updated regularly, HLAS Web provides rapid, comprehensive access to decades of scholarship on Latin America. The annotated citations describe books, journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, maps and atlases, and e-resources published from the 1960s to the present. HLAS Web is an ADA-compliant, mobile friendly site with robust search options and permalinks for each record. Older volumes are available in print and can be found in the Hispanic Reading Room. The print volume of the Handbook is published annually by the University of Texas Press.

Yo Soy (I am): The Historical Trajectory of Language in Puerto Rico

Caribbean, Iberian & Latin American Studies: Ask a Librarian

African Language Influence

Resources

Freely Avilable Databases

Subscription Databases