Bozal Spanish facts for kids

Bozal Spanish was a special way of speaking that mixed Spanish with other languages, especially Kikongo. It also had some influences from Portuguese. People think it might have been a type of creole language or pidgin. A creole language is a new language that forms when different groups of people need to communicate. A pidgin is a simpler form of communication that isn't a full language.

We don't know for sure if Bozal Spanish was a complete, stable language. It might have just been a term for any way of speaking Spanish that included words and sounds from African languages. It is now considered extinct, meaning no one speaks it as their main language anymore.

What Does "Bozal" Mean?

The word Bozal comes from Spanish. It means "muzzle," like a guard for an animal's mouth. This word was used in a specific way during the time when Spain had colonies in the Americas.

The Spanish people used to sort Black people into two groups:

• negros ladinos: These were Black people who had lived in a Spanish-speaking area for more than a year. They had learned to speak Spanish.
• negros bozales: These were Black people who had just arrived from Africa. They often did not speak Spanish yet. The term bozal was used to describe them because they were seen as "untamed" or "unfamiliar" with Spanish ways.

Similarly, the Portuguese also had terms to describe people. They called Black people born in their European empires negros crioulos or ladinos. Black people born in Africa were called negros africanos or boçais.

When Was Bozal Spanish Used?

Bozal Spanish was spoken by people brought from Africa to places like Cuba, Uruguay, and other parts of South and Central America. This happened from the 1600s until around 1850. By then, it likely died out as a common language.

Even though Bozal Spanish is no longer spoken every day, its influence can still be found.

• In some Cuban folk religious ceremonies, people still use words and phrases they call "Bozal."
• Many songs from the "afro" music style in Cuba, popular in the 1930s and 1940s, have lyrics that sound like Bozal Spanish.

In Puerto Rico, esclavos bozales were people brought from Africa. They spoke different languages at first. Over time, they learned Spanish while living there.

See also

• Slavery in colonial Spanish America
• Papiamento