Llanito: Exploring the Landscape

Gibraltarians for a Multilingual Society (GFAMS) have been championing Llanito since they first were established in 2022. The group has numerous aims to include advocating for the official recognition and promotion of Gibraltar’s multilingualism. GFAMS acknowledges the value of languages on Gibraltar’s economy, hoping to increase opportunities for learning and developing a sustainable language policy for Gibraltar. In this podcast we speak to Manual Enriles and Dale Buttigieg on what Llanito means to them. 

The interest in Gibraltar’s Llanito language is widespread piquing the interest of linguists in different part of the world. Llanito is a reflection of Gibraltar's past, a marker of its present, and a key to its future. It embodies the complex and multi-layered identity of the Gibraltarian people, capturing the essence of our history, culture, and community.Professor Elena Seone from the University of Vigo was first interested in Gibraltar English, but has become an advocate of Llanito.

A new form of expression and language consciousness seems to be developing on the rock with writers, poets and researchers embracing Llanito, and drawing on their languages, when delving in written expression. A key supporter on the Rock is Charlie Durante, the writer and critic rebutes the accusation that Llanito is gibberish and has no grammar and is not rule based. He promotes the beauty of this challenging linguistic form with its peculiar idioms and idiosyncratic turns of phrase, and unique blend of Spanish and English which transcends mere amalgamation.

In this Podcast we speak to Professor Laura Wright from the University of Cambridge. Laura is a historical sociolinguist whose latest research involves the study and preservation of Llanito, Gibraltar’s unique language. She was involved with the Gibraltar Archives Exhibition ‘Llanito: Past, Present, Future’, her input is always received with a lot of interest. Laura explained what her work in Gibraltar involved exactly.