| Lunfardo |
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Many Lunfardo expressions have entered into the popular language and have become an integral part of the Spanish spoken in Argentina and Uruguay . A few have been recognized even by the Real Academia Española . Lunfardo is frequently found in the lyrics of Tangos , supplying nuances and double-entendres with overtones of sex, drugs, and the Criminal Underworld . DEVELOPMENT Much of Lunfardo arrived with European immigrants, such as italians, spanish, french, portuguese, and poles. It should be noted that most italian and spanish immigrants spoke their regional languages and dialects and not standard Italian or Spanish ; other words arrived from the Pampa by means of the Gaucho s; a small number originated in Argentina's native population. Most sources believe that Lunfardo originated in jails, as a prisoner-only argot. Circa 1900, the word ''lunfardo'' itself (originally a deformation of '' Lombardo '' in several Italian dialects) was used to mean "outlaw". CHARACTERISTICS Lunfardo words are inserted in the normal flow of Rioplatense Spanish sentences. Thus, a Mexican reading tango lyrics will need, at most, the translation of a discrete set of words, and not a grammar guide. Tango lyrics use lunfardo sparsely, but some songs (such as ''El Ciruja'', or most lyrics by Celedonio Flores ) employ lunfardo heavily. "Milonga Lunfarda" by Edmundo Rivero is an instructive and entertaining primer on lunfardo usage. A characteristic of lunfardo is its use of Wordplay , notably '' Vesre '' (reversing the syllables). Thus, ''tango'' becomes ''gotán'' and ''café con leche'' ( Latte , Café Au Lait ) becomes ''feca con chele''. Lunfardo employs ingenious metaphors such as ''bobo'' ("dumb") for the Heart , who "works all day long without being paid", or ''bufoso'' ("snorter") for Pistol . Finally, there are words that are derived from others in Spanish, such as the verb ''abarajar'', which means ''to stop your opponent's blows with the blade of your knife'' and is related to the verb "barajar", which means to cut or shuffle a deck of cards. EXAMPLES
MODERN BUENOS AIRES SLANG Since the 1970s , it is a matter of debate whether newer additions to the slang of Buenos Aires qualify as lunfardo. Traditionalists argue that lunfardo ''must'' have a link to the argot of the old underworld, to tango lyrics, or to racetrack slang. Others maintain that the colloquial language of Buenos Aires is lunfardo—by definition. Some examples of modern talk:
Many new terms had spread from specific areas of the dynamic Buenos Aires cultural scene: invented by screenwriters, used around the arts-and-crafts fair in Plaza Francia, culled from the vocabulary of Psychoanalysis , or created by the lyricists of Cumbia Villera . Only a very staunch conservative would deny lunfardo status to this verse from ''cumbia villera'' band ''Los Pibes Chorros'' ("The Thieving Boys"): ''"Al primero que se haga el ortiba / por pancho y careta le vamos a dar"'' (''see'' Notes below). SEE ALSO
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