Lunfardo, a popular way of expression used by Rioplatense Spanish speakers of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic classes across Argentina, was historically classified as a criminal jargon used...Show moreLunfardo, a popular way of expression used by Rioplatense Spanish speakers of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic classes across Argentina, was historically classified as a criminal jargon used solely by criminals and the working class in the region of Rio de la Plata. Little sociolinguistic research has been carried out to ascertain the current status of Lunfardo and even less has been undertaken on regions beyond the capital of Argentina. The present study evaluated the extent to which young adults, aged 18-29 from San Luis, Argentina, could recognise Lunfardo and analysed their linguistic attitudes towards its use and those who use it. This was achieved by gathering quantitative and qualitative data using Lunfardo comprehension tests, rating tasks and interviews with 21 participants. The quantitative findings revealed that young people from San Luis understand a significant amount of Lunfardo terms, with age and gender influencing levels of comprehension. The qualitative findings demonstrated that Lunfardo is no longer considered a criminal jargon, nor is it only characteristic of the working class. Instead, Argentine Spanish speakers across the country, regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic class, and education level, employ Lunfardo daily to converse and form genuine connections with others. This study concludes that there has been a drastic change in how Lunfardo is perceived. It is now overwhelmingly regarded as an essential component of Argentine culture and identity. Overall, the young people of San Luis show little bias towards the use of Lunfardo and those who use it.Show less
Famous tango dancer Carlos Gavito once said, “If you dance your life, you dance better”. This quote beautifully reflects the main motive in of this thesis, namely the existence and development of...Show moreFamous tango dancer Carlos Gavito once said, “If you dance your life, you dance better”. This quote beautifully reflects the main motive in of this thesis, namely the existence and development of the tango. The Argentine tango can be considered to be Argentina’s addition to the world’s experiences of dance. Over the past few decades, the tango transformed from a indecent form of dance straight out of the brothels with men and women rubbing their bodies together to a classy and elegant dance inducing an image of upper class, with both men and women dressed in proper evening dress (Trio Garufa). As the tango develops throughout the years, so does Lunfardo. Lunfardo is considered to be the slang of the outer skirts of Buenos Aires, and frequently used within the lyrics of the tango. How did these two phenomena connect? The purpose of this thesis is to research and understand the development of tango and the use of Lunfardo within the lyrics of the tango. By use of a theoretical framework and an implementation of these findings in the comparison of different tango lyrics, I will try to answer the question “What function did Lunfardo serve within the Tango?”. To understand what function Lunfardo served within the tango, it is needed to have thorough analysis into different literature is needed. The theoretical framework will give an overview of the history of tango and Lunfardo, and the following case study will function as an example of the two trends in the history of tango lyrics writing.Show less
