The language of the canaries is special. The Canary Islands have been a place of passage for many foreigners throughout their history.Some stayed here and others followed their course. They left behind their vocabulary and we, the Canaries, have been transforming it. Then, the Canaries and the English are united by their language. We can find words that, if we look closely, we find the Anglo-Saxon root.
Some examples linking Tenerife and the United Kingdom through vocabulary
- Chinegua/quinegua: is a type of potato. It is called so because they came from England during the reign of Edward VI (1537-1553). The type of potato was named in honor of this King Edward, the Canaries said it as it sounded and it remained in the potato chinegua.
- Guagua: It comes from Cuba. Wa & Wa Co. Inc. (Washington, Walton, and Company Incorporated, was the first factory to export guaguas to Cuba.
- Fos: It’s an expression of disgust, when it smells bad. It’s said to come from the word faugh. Which the English also use to express disgust (faugh!).
- Queque: is a typical canary cake. It comes from the English word cake, which means pie.
- Cambullón: According to the experts of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, they were the ones who had a “wide variety of activities of buying and selling merchandise, exercised outside the law, with the ships that visited the Canarian ports. These merchants would get on the boats and say come buy on”
- Alongar: This word means to throw the body forward. It comes from the English “to longer”. For example: Don’t stretch yourself out, you’ll fall.
- Cotufas: This word is only used in the province of Tenerife (in Gran Canaria they are “roscas”), it means pop corn, popcorn in the peninsula. Its origin is that, before the corn is fried is said corn to fry, said as it sounds, cotufa .
- Boliche: The game of bowling is similar to that of marbles. It is a small crystal or wooden ball and it is about hitting the other children’s ball until they take it out of the circle. It comes from the English, game of the marbles (ball age).
- Cachanchán: means that a person is clumsy and inexperienced, as well as unreliable. It comes from the English, Catch as you can.
For all if these, the language of canary people is united with the United Kingdom. In the Canary Islands there is a lot of vocabulary coming from all over the world, especially from Latin American and English countries.
We are an island that throughout its history has been nourished internationally with vocabulary and customs from abroad and we have adapted them to our way of being. Come and get to know us for real!
