Caló is an Argot of Mexican Spanish spoken in the first half of the 20th century in the southwest United States and was associated with the Zoot Suit or Pachuco culture. It became a cultural symbol of the Chicano Movement during the 1960s and 1970s, when it was used frequently in literature and poetry, sometimes known as floricanto. Some words are used today by contemporary Chicanos as well as in the gang subculture, though its use is on the wane and is being replaced by words of African-American derivation. Some words have been absorbed into Mexican slang. It enjoyed mainstream exposure in the Cheech and Chong movies of the 1970s. It is not to be confused with Spanglish, which is not limited to Mexican Spanish. Caló is also a spanish term that was used to describe the language of the Gypsies (or Gitanos of Andalucia, Spain. Caló is a mixture of archaic spanish words, nahuatl, New Mexican Spanish, Romany and borrowings from the english language. It is similar to lunfardo in that it has an eclectic and multilingual vocabulary. It is believed to have originated in El Paso, Texas, primarily from Mexican immigrants from the Tepito neighborhood of Mexico City. Argot is primarily slang used by various groups, including but not limited to thieves and other criminals, to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations. ... Mexican Spanish is the form of the Spanish used in Mexico. ... A pachuco was a Chicano youth in the mid- 20th century who wore flashy clothes and may have been a gang member. ... A Chicano is a person of Mexican descent born in the United States. ... // Overview African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans, Black Americans, or blacks, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to West Africa. ... Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, Cheech and Chong, were a comedy duo who found a wide audience in the 1960s and 1970s for their stand-up routines, which were based upon the 1960s hippie, free love and (especially) drug culture movements. ... Spanglish, a portmanteau of the words Spanish and English, is a name used to refer to a range of language-contact phenomena, primarily in the speech of the Hispanic population of the USA, which is exposed to both Spanish and English. ... The Rroma people (pronounced rahma, singular Rrom) along with the closely related Sinti people are commonly known as Gypsies. ... The Gitanos is the name of the Roma people that live in Spain. ... Motto: Dominator Hercules Fundator Andaluc a por s , para Espa a y la humanidad (Andalusia for herself, for Spain, and for humanity) Capital Seville Area  - total  - % of Spain Ranked 2nd 87 268 km 17,2% Population  - Total (2003)  - % of Spain  - Density Ranked 1st 7 478 432 17,9% 85,70... Nahuatl is a native language of central Mexico. ... Romany (or Romani) relates to: The Roma: a people sometimes called (to them, pejoratively) Gypsies. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Lunfardo was a colorful, slangy argot of the Spanish language which developed at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century in the lower classes in and around Buenos Aires. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México) is the name of a megacity located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus (altiplano) at the center of Mexico, about 2,240 metres (7,349 feet) above sea-level, surrounded on most sides...

Features

Caló, like Spanglish, makes heavy use of Code-switching. Unlike spanglish, Caló uses rhyming and in some cases, a type of rhyming slame similar in Spanish to Cockney rhyming slang (see Usage). Code-switching is a term in linguistics referring to alternation between one or more languages, dialects, or language registers in the course of discourse between people who have more than one language in common. ... This article is about the poetic technique. ... Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London. ...

Examples

• Rascuache = Dirty, Unkempt
• Nel = no
• Rifamos = We rule
• Vato = Dude
• Chota = Police
• Ranfla = Car
• Refín = Food
• Chiva = Heroin
• Cantón = House
• Carnál = Brother
• Jefe = (lit. "Boss") Father
• Féria = Money
• Jaina (sometimes spelled "Hayna") = Woman
• Vaisa = Grip
• Filero = Knife
• Ése = Man
• Chale = No way
• Orale = Yes
• Simón = Yes
• Trucha = Watch out
• Chingón = Importan person, Tough guy
• Escamado = Scared
• Placa = Tattoo
• Tecato = Heroin Addict
• Jura = Police
• Chavalo = Boy
• Yeska = Marijuana
• Pinta = Jail
• Pisto = Alcohol, esp. Beer
• Rola = Song
• Con Safos (Frquently abbreviated as "C/S" = Nobody can mess with this
• Chingazos = Fisticuffs
• Frajo = Cigarette
• Torcido = Jail time
• Grifo = Marijuana Addict
• De Aquellas = The best
• Firme = Good
• Los = Los Angeles
• San Pancho = San Francisco
• Araisas = Arizona
• Califas = California

OÅ•ale is a Spanish slang term. ...

Usage

There are also plays on words, which was traditionally a common feature in the Tepito neigborhood of Mexico City.

• ¿Que Pasiones?(lit. What Passions) => Que Pasa? meaning "How Are You?
• ¿Si ya sabanas, paquetes hilo?(lit. If you already blankets, packages thread?) => ¿Si ya sabes, pa(ra) que te digo? meaning "If you already know, why should I tell you?"

Caló In Popular Culture

• Lalo Guerrero Influential Pachuco Swing Musician
• Tin Tan Actor from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema who affected Pachuco dress and talk.
• George Lopez Show
• Cheech and Chong
• Sublime (band)
• Dogtown
• Odelay
• Magu
• Robert Rodriguez
• Kid Frost Rap Artist, son "La Raza" is entirely in Caló
• Akwid

Eduardo Lalo Guerrero (December 24, 1916 – March 17, 2005), credited as being the father of Chicano music, was a Mexican-American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist best known for his strong influence on todays Latin artists. ... Germán Valdés (September 19, 1915 - June 29, 1973), better known as Tin-Tan, was a Mexican actor, singer and comedian. ... George Lopez (born April 23, 1961 in Mission Hills, California) is a Latino American comedian, actor and entertainer and star of a self-titled, ABC sitcom, The George Lopez Show. ... Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, Cheech and Chong, were a comedy duo who found a wide audience in the 1960s and 1970s for their stand-up routines, which were based upon the 1960s hippie, free love and (especially) drug culture movements. ... Sublime (circa 1995) left to right: Bud Gaugh, Brad Nowell and Eric Wilson, front: Louie-Dog (Nowells beloved pet dalmatian) Sublime was a garage punk band from Long Beach, California, playing a mix of reggae and dub, ska, punk, and hip hop. ... Dogtown might refer to nickname for the beach at Santa Monica/Venice in California, famed for its skateboarding and surfing culture. ... Odelay is a 1996 (see 1996 in music) album by indie rocker Beck. ... Robert Rodriguez (born June 20, 1968) is a Mexican-American film director. ... Kid Frost (b. ... Akwid is a Mexican-American musical group, combining Spanish-language hip-hop-style vocals with regional Sinaloese banda music. ...

Sources

El Libro de Caló http://www.floricantopress.com/ellibro.htm

Hallcom, Francine, Ph.D. "An Urban Ethnography of Latino Street Gangs in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties" http://www.csun.edu/~hcchs006/12.html