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ENGLISH in AMERICA: SPANISH ORIGIN MEXICAN: The Spanish adopted more than 500 native words. Many of these Spanish-based words have gradually been Anglicised over the generations. alligator / bronco / buffalo / cafeteria / cantina / canyon / cigar / Cinch - before the rawhide cowboys rode across the prairie, their saddles had to be checked to make sure that they were all right. This job was done by a Cincher and so, "It's a cinch" means all is ready to go. / desperado / fiesta / gringo (from Greek for foreigner). Charles Berlitz (1982) theory goes back to the 1848 US-Mexican War when the Mexican troops heard the Yankee soldiers singing "Green Grows the Lilacs (Rushes Oh?)". Eventually, the word spread throughout Latin America as an insult against Yankees. / jug (for jail from juzgado? / lasso / macho / mustang / patio / plaza / poncho / ranch / rodeo / siesta / sombrero / stampede / tornado (like the word tourniquet = 'to twist') PLACE NAMES: Amarillo - yellow / Arizona - Arid zone / Colorado (colour red) / California - Queen of the Amazons / El Paso - The Pass / Florida - Flowery / Los Angeles (LA) - The Angels / Montana - Mountains / Nevada - (also a mountain area in Southern Spain) snow fall / Pasadena - strolling place / San Francisco - St. Francis AZTEC: Native words avocado / cocoa / chilli / chocolate / coyote / tomato CARIBBEAN: Spanish CUBA - cannibal (native tribe on island) / barbecue / canoe / cassava / curare / hammock / hurricane / maize (native corn) / papaya / potato / TOBAGO - tobacco SOUTH AMERICAN: mainly Spanish Alpaca ? / cashew / cayenne / coca / condor / cougar / guano / guava / jacaranda ? / jaguar / liama / petunia / piranka ? / puma / quinine / tapioca / tapir / toucan / vicuna |
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