Exhibition traces origins of llanito

An exhibition about the Llanito language, curated by the University of Cambridge and the Gibraltar National Archives, was formally opened by the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia on Tuesday, together with the Archivist Gerard Wood and in the presence of the Minister for Culture, Christian Santos.

The exhibition, which is open to the general public at the Fine Arts Gallery in Casemates until next month, traces the origin and development of Llanito.

It is based on serious scientific academic research centred on the important node that was the 18th century trading network of the Genoese, No.6 Convent Place said in a statement.

Modern mapping techniques were used to better understand the languages of that network in 1777, and this was overlapped with the birthplace of the inhabitants of Gibraltar at the time.

The outcome, explained the Deputy Chief Minister during his opening address, “is concrete proof that Llanito is not simply a variant of Spanish, but rather an intermingling of diverse tongues.”

This process was part and parcel of the development of the identity of the people of Gibraltar over 300 years, he said.

Dr Garcia added that ever since the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, the people of Gibraltar developed a unique linguistic identity of their own.

“[Gibraltar’s] linguistic identity is precisely a reflection of the multi-cultural origins of the Gibraltarian people,” he said, adding that how Gibraltarians communicated with each other over decades and centuries reflects what this community’s linguistic identity has become.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the Gibraltarians’ case for self-determination and decolonisation is assisted by that inter-relatedness of language, history and custom.

He expressed the gratitude of the Government to Archivist Gerard Wood, to University of Cambridge Professors Laura Wright and Brechtje Post, to the Gibraltarians for a Multicultural Society group, as well as to countless helpers, volunteers and staff.

Dr Garcia praised the curators saying that they had done “splendid work in making a complex topic accessible to the general public”, adding that the exhibition had something for everyone and that he encouraged people to visit.