Yanito

Yanito is the name for the patois or creole spoken in Gibraltar. It is a mixture of English and Andalusian Spanish with influences from Moroccan Arabic, Genoese Italian, and Hebrew, as well as other linguistic impacts (see Demographics of Gibraltar). It is often spelt Llanito, but many prefer the spelling Yanito. Gibraltarians may also call themselves 'Yanitos' (female 'Yanitas'). The term 'los Yanis' is also used in La Línea, the town on the other side of the border, to describe — generally disdainfully — their neighbours.

To many outsiders, Yanito sounds incomprehensible, as speakers appear to switch languages in mid-sentence. They also mispronounce English words, giving them an Andalusian flavour. For example, bacon is pronounced 'beki'; or cake, 'quequi'. A policeman is known as 'un bobi', (from "bobby").

Yanito: Hombre, I'm telling you que no puedes...
Spanish: Hombre, te digo que no puedes...
English: Man, I'm telling you, you can't...

Yanito: Hay call para ti.
Spanish: Tienes una llamada.
English: There's a call for you.

Yanito: Sí, pero at the end of the day...
Spanish: Sí, pero a fin de cuentas...
English: Yes, but at the end of the day...

Yanito receives little governmental support.

Etymology

In contention. Some attribute it to llano (plain), a reference to the isthmus between Gibraltar and Spain, or to Gianni+-ito or even Johnny+-ito.

See also Spanglish