Often called the language of tango, Lunfardo is actually not a language or a dialect, but rather a slang vocabulary particular to the streets of Buenos Aires. Lunfardo developed among the same people who created tango, and it too is a fusion of Spanish, African, and European influences.
According to expert José Gobello, Lunfardo is a “vocabulary made up of words of different origin used by Buenos Aires people in opposition to the orthodox Spanish words”. This idea of opposition is key. When Lunfardo was developing at the end of the 19th century, Spanish colonialism was still very strong. By using their own set of words that could not be understood by the Spanish-speaking elite, the ordinary citizens of Buenos Aires were engaging in a resistance movement against the status quo.
Today, Lunfardo is no longer an outsider vocabulary, but a beloved part of the Buenos Aires identity. When you visit Buenos Aires, be on the lookout for some of these unique Lunfardo words:
- mandinga (curse), from an African language.
- Bondi (bus), from the Portuguese.
- Cana (policeman), from the French
- Chinchibirra (beer) and sanguich (sandwich), from the English.
- manyar (to eat), from the Italian “mangiare”
- Cuore (heart), from the Italian
Another aspect of Lunfardo is called vesre. Vesre means forming words “al reves,” by reversing their syllables:
- feca (coffee)
- feca con chele (coffee with milk)
- cheno (night)
- choma (macho man)
- gotan (tango)
- garaba (barajas)