Plain

The name llanito (or yanito) is a linguistic variety commonly used by the inhabitants of Gibraltar. It consists mainly of a mixture of English and Spanish comparable to Spanglish, which mixes British English and Andalusian dialect. The llanito also has more than 500 lexical terms from Genoese, Hebrew, Arabic, Portuguese and Maltese.

Llanito is also an affectionate name for the inhabitants of the aforementioned territory.

The origin of the term is uncertain. There are those who are inclined to think that it comes from the proper name "John" (affectionately "Johnny"), very common in the English language, or to the many "Giovanni" (affectionately "Gianni") of the large Genoese colony that inhabited the territory, or to a denomination in a humorous or ironic tone by the Andalusian population of the area surrounding the Campo de Gibraltar, alluding precisely to the little flat or rugged terrain of the Rock. The short term Llanis is also used by the people of Gibraltar, where it can be heard throughout the territory and proudly in songs during Gibraltar National Day.

Features

For some people who only speak English or Spanish, llanito may seem incomprehensible, as speakers seem to switch languages mid-sentence, although for people who are bilingual of both languages, it may sound interesting and unique. One of the characteristics of the language is the pronunciation of English words with an Andalusian tone. For example, bacon (bacon) is beki; cake (cake), keki; battery (battery), batteria; a policeman is known as la parma, and porridge is called kuecaro (a Hispanicization of the Quaker Oats brand). Most Gibraltarians, especially those with higher education, also speak Spanish, either with the pronunciation of the Andalusian hablas or the normalized peninsular variant. In the case of English, the Gibraltarian and British varieties are also spoken.

Examples

Llanito: Man, I'm telling you that I can't...
English: Man, I tell you that you can't...
English: Man, I'm telling you (that) you can't...

Llanito: I can't eat the chicken because I have it frozen...
English: I can't cook the chicken because it's frozen...
English: I can't cook the chicken because it's frozen...

Llanito: Ayêh tome lanch dêppuêh de la demontrasion...
English: Yesterday I had lunch after the demonstration...
English: Yesterday I had lunch after the demonstration...

Llanito: There is a call for you.
English: There is a call for you.
English: There's a call for you.

Llanito: Yes, but at the end of the day...
English: Yes, but in the end...
English: Yes, but at the end of the day...

Llanito: I call you p'atra enywey
English: I'll call you back anyway
English: I'll call you back anyway

Llanito: What the hell!...
English: What luck!...
English: How lucky!...

Broadcasting

The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has broadcast several programs in Llanito, including Talk About Town – a discussion series in which three presenters discuss local issues, from the need to replace a license plate from the street, to important political issues.

Pepe's Pot was a cooking show in which Llanito was also spoken.^{[citation needed]}

Films and documentaries

A documentary, entitled People of the Rock: The Llanitos of Gibraltar (2011) talks about the characteristics of the Llanito, its history and its culture. Notable interviews include Pepe Palmero (from the GBC cooking show Pepe's Pot), Kaiane Aldorino (Miss World 2009) and Tito Vallejo (author of The Llanito Dictionary).