THE CANARY DIALECT

The Canary dialect emerged from a historical past marked by numerous events, especially foreign influences.

Tenerife, an island with a rich history spanning millions of years, has seen the passage of many different cultures, each contributing its own customs and unique traditions. By delving into the past, we can learn about the people who once inhabited the island. This connection to history provides a sense of belonging and enhances our appreciation for this favorite island.

Tenerife is constantly evolving. The climate changes, the population grows, and the economy develops. By examining the past, we gain a better understanding of the island’s current state, enabling us to make informed decisions for its future while fostering a deeper connection to the island. Language, as the ultimate tool of communication, plays a key role in this, shaped by historical influences to become what it is today.

Spanish Language

The pre-Spanish heritage and borrowings from other languages, mainly Portuguese, create a unique variety of Spanish in the Canary Islands. Languages are dynamic, evolving and changing through use, borrowing from other languages, and even trends. While words may deviate from their etymological roots, they provide clues for tracing the sources that shaped the Canary language.

Languages are rarely used in their purest form, constantly enriched with new words, phrases, and expressions, leading to the formation of dialects and modalities. In the Canary Islands, the language is relatively uniform but exhibits variations in speech across different islands. Spanish serves as the base, enriched by Portuguese and pre-Spanish languages native to the islands. Additionally, there has been minor influence from the Moors, Norsemen, and the adoption and mispronunciation of English words.

Pre-Spanish Heritage

Before the arrival of the Conquistadors, the islands already had their linguistic legacy, which persists today, particularly in place names. The language spoken by the pre-European Canarian inhabitants was Berber. This is evident from the grammar of the toponymy, as words like Tenerife, Tindaya, and Garajonay have Berber origins.

Marcial Morera, the author of the Diccionario Histórico-Etimológico Del Habla Canaria, is one of the foremost experts on the Canary language and dialect. In compiling the dictionary, Morera consulted Arabists with expertise in Berber philology since languages like Tashelhit, spoken in Agadir, differ from Rifian in northern Morocco or Kabyle. Through this research, he identified the origins of words such as guayete (child), jaique (dress), flus (money), naila(sandal), and majalulo (camel). Other North African terms like tabaiba, gofio, baifo, tajorase (young goat), and taferte(herbaceous plant) are still in use in the Canary Islands.

Cradle of Guanchismos

While common names are widespread across the islands, specific place names vary from one island to another. The disparity in pre-Hispanic toponymy highlights the linguistic differences or dialectical variations among the islands. Marcial Morera hypothesized that Guanchismos (terms of Guanche origin) were adapted to the Spanish language in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura from the early 15th century.

Nearly a century later, Majoreros and Conejeros (see glossary below) who participated in the royal conquest of Gran Canaria, La Palma, and Tenerife brought these new words to the western islands. These adapted Guanchismos were later disseminated across the archipelago as natives of La Palma, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria traveled to the eastern islands to work in agriculture. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were rich in grains, especially barley and wheat, but lacked sufficient labor.

Portuguese Influence

While Spanish and Portuguese gradually diverged from a common root on the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands experienced a linguistic reunification of the two languages. Many traditional Canary Island words originate from Spanish, but numerous terms are borrowed from Portuguese settlers who arrived on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura from the 15th century onward. Portuguese immigration intensified during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, with royal conquests spreading Portuguese influence in agriculture, fishing, crafts, and trade, as seen in words like mojo, millo, or maresía.

Portuguese linguistic traditions landed in the Canary Islands, filling gaps in vocabulary for new realities or phenomena. For instance, Portuguese settlers named sugar mills, vineyards, maritime terms, fauna, and climatic phenomena. Similar to how English terms are now used for scientific or technological advancements, Portuguese enriched the Canary lexicon by naming things that previously lacked words.

A Matter of Prestige

In more recent times, the Canary dialect has continued to evolve, influenced by the distinct pronunciation characteristics of each island. Social prestige has played a role in popularizing grammatical and lexical neologisms, such as the aspirated or barely pronounced s at the end of words.

This feature, originally rural, was later adopted by the Gran Canarian bourgeoisie and spread to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. The population dynamics meant that many services were centralized in Gran Canaria, requiring residents of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura to travel there for administrative or medical purposes. Additionally, many professionals, civil servants, and teachers from Gran Canaria brought their linguistic traits to the eastern islands.

Distinctions

Gradually, certain island-specific linguistic traits have influenced others. Until the late 19th century, the distinction between vosotros and ustedes was common across the archipelago. Today, vosotros is primarily used on La Gomera. In El Hierro, the pronunciation of the final s in words is still common, likely a trait once widespread across the archipelago but later influenced by the prestige of Andalusian Spanish and proximity to ports like Seville and Cádiz, key connections for the Canaries.

The Canary dialect is spoken across the eight inhabited islands of the Canary Archipelago.

Guy Devos © Photography
The Canary Dialect ©

More HISTORY can be read [HERE]

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