Study Finds A New 'Language' Is Developing In The United States

A dialect spoken in areas around Miami is getting recognition, and validation, for its unique use of the English language. As per a report in Indy 100, the distinct dialect is a Spanish-influenced form of English, and is born out of decades of immigration to Southern Florida from Spanish-speaking countries. Those who have reached the region and their children learned English through direct translations of Spanish phrases leading to the proliferation of the dialect, the outlet further said in the report.

Phillip M Carter, a Florida International University professor, has even published a paper on 'Miami English' in the journal English World Wide.

In an old report, The Washington Post gave an example of changes in the dialect when compared to English. Those who speak 'Miami English', don't "get" in line, they "make" the line (from the Spanish "hacer la fila"). They are not "very" tired, they are "super" tired ("Estar super cansado"). They don't "get out" of their cars, they "get down" from their cars ("Bajarse del carro").

"There are many, many, many ways of speaking American English and many regional, ethnic and social dialects. And this is just another one being added to the tapestry," said Mr Carter.

The dialect has also become popular on social media. Among several handles that have helped it gain traction is an Instagram handle called 'Only In Dade'. It asked its followers "What's a 'Miami English' phrase you say?" - and amassed thousands of comments from users sharing their favourite examples of the dialect.

The study on the dialect has intrigued people, said Mr Carter.

"I think they're interested in this because people are fed up of being told that the way that they speak is not real or not legitimate or not proper or not a part of the United States language scene," he told the outlet.

For the study, Mr Carter and his team asked 33 people from a diverse mix in Miami what they thought of more than 50 sentences that were typically of the new dialect.

The findings showed that 'Miami English' typically sounded "natural" to those in Miami, but people living outside the region found it significantly more alien.