Spanish, as well as increasing their motivation to learn. From the results obtained, it has been possible to verify that the

proposed objectives were achieved, including the elaboration of our own particular dictionary of lunfardo terms in

Argentinian tango songs. Therefore, the conclusion can be drawn that knowledge of lunfardo enhances the students’

linguistic competence in both written and oral use, while at the same time it improves their motivation in mastering

Spanish as a Foreign Language.

hen we speak of Spanish, we do it in a generic

agree. In fact, the language is the same, but its plurality is

enormous, and its use is carried out depending on the

geographical location in which it is spoken and its oral and

written traditions, as well as the influences of other

languages that may exist or have existed in these territories.

Currently, according to data provided by the Instituto

Cervantes (2021, p.9), almost 493 million people speak

Spanish as their native language, and more than 24 million

students studied Spanish as a foreign language in 2021,

specifically 24,069,206. Following this study, Argentina

on lunfardo, which began as slang, a lower-class language

created outside the official vocabulary, which ended up

being included in everyday Argentinian speech, being used

alternately with standard Spanish. Nowadays, lunfardo has

Tango songs played a predominant role in this evolution by

including the lunfardo terms in its lyrics.

This work gathers the results of research in which lunfardo

terminology has been used to reinforce the learning of

Argentinian Spanish. Specifically, lunfardo words found in

programme in which lunfardo, tango songs and culture

have been used in the teaching of ELE. The starting point

was a questionnaire validated by experts from which the

profiles, interests, positions, and opinions of the study's

recipients were extracted and analyzed.

The aim is to approach the teaching of ELE through the use

of lunfardo in tango songs. Lunfardo was born as slang and

is now accepted by all the speaking population; tango is

considered by musical and cultural experts as one of

by stimulating brain regions related to attention, memory,

motor function and emotional processing (Sarkamo et al.

2008). According to Thomson et al. (2001), it increases

creativity and the ability to express oneself.

According to Gobello (1996), renowned scholar of

lunfardo and founder of the Academia Porteña del

Lunfardo in Buenos Aires, lunfardo is considered a corpus

of words and expressions originally formed in a high

percentage by immigrant terms, that is, brought to

pronunciation (e.g., pelandrún, lazy in Italian) or adapted

mangiare, to eat or understand). Conde, currently an

eminent figure in the study of lunfardo, adds that lunfardo

is an essential part of the Argentinian identity. According

to Conde (2011), it is a popular speech behind which there

is a unique and non-transferable symbolism. From this

point of view, this linguistic corpus has been used in our

work as an intrinsic part of the culture and speech of

of these words in contrast to the standard language. Thanks

to tango songs, those words could be spread, creating

empathy in those who listened: the working classes could

recognise these words, feeling them to be not only natural,

but also close to them. Thus, in the levels of students who

intend to improve their level of Spanish as a Foreign

Language, lunfardo has been used to improve and deepen

their lexical and cultural knowledge of this language in

cultural contexts typical of Argentina, such as tango lyrics.

its expressive possibilities and expanding thanks to the

performances of extraordinary singers. "Together, tango

and lunfardo – both generated by immigration - were able

to win popular favor by strengthening each other" (Conde,

2011, p. 236). The success of Mi noche triste encouraged

the use of lunfardo among tango lyricists and poets who

picked it up, refined it and gave rise to new lunfardo terms.

be observed and regulated above all from the point of view

of its lyrics, both from the formal aspect and the content.

When we pronounce the word tango, we refer to three units

it to a specific dance in the communities of African origin

in the Río de la Plata.

songs from 1917 to 1956 (or 1963, according to some

scholars).

The thematic universe of traditional tango is very varied.

Among the most popular topics are:

by abandonment, generally by the woman.

resulting in imprisonment (Willenpart, 2001).

descendant of the gaucho, who had left the

countryside and moved to the city of Buenos

Aires to find work at the end of the 19th century.

both outdoor, such as the city with its streets and

neighbourhoods, and indoor, public places such

as cabarets, brothels, or private places such as the

and popular genre in terms of its themes, its background

cultural manifestations of the place where it is spoken must

be taken into account. In the case of Argentina, in addition

to the characteristics already mentioned, it is especially

speech behind which there is a unique and non-transferable

symbolism. These are simply words that we cannot give

can be traced to Buenos Aires, this vocabulary has now

diversity. Teaching a language and a culture is really an

educational act (Denis and Matas, 1999). For teachers in

general and also for teachers of ELE, it is important to use

a variety of tools to motivate students and to use material

that is attractive to them.

Language in order to improve the linguistic and

intercultural competences of students.

were people with a good level of Spanish, but with a low

level in the use of technologies.

The sample was selected randomly within the indicated

limitations; therefore, it was a partial probability sampling

(Santesmates, 2009). The students responded randomly to

the questionnaire in which no questions with

predetermined answers were collected, as many of them

were answered by the students according to their opinion

or knowledge. The number of adults who participated in

future time be extended to a larger number if circumstances

permitted.

By means of a questionnaire we aimed to get to know the

students with whom we worked, both in terms of their

their level of knowledge and command of Spanish

language. From this starting point, we designed the

activities that allowed us to advance in learning the aspects

related to this research and collected in the objectives of the

research.

The second part of the questionnaire collected the areas and

dimensions of analysis.

• Cultural level

• Linguistic level related to Argentinian Spanish

and music.

The validation of the questionnaire was done through

experts from the University of Granada, specifically

members of the MIDE Department, Faculty of Educational

Sciences.

In our case, the dictionary is intended to be one more

walked side by side. One more witness of how Argentinian

speech has shaped, throughout the years and events, a

enrichment (Espíndola, 2003, p. 7)". Born in the slums, "it

grew, enlarged and had the virtue of opening up to popular

feeling and ingenuity, which took it from the slums and

fostered it" (Espíndola, 2003, p. 7). This dictionary may be

useful, especially for foreign scholars, in order to know

which of the referred words are still in use today or are

interests, facilitated the involvement of all of them. The

whole didactic process was carried out virtually, as this was

the only possible way during the period of execution of the

through the Meet-google.com platform.

The process followed was as described below:

First phase: Working with a series of tango songs on the

exercises described below. Duration of this phase: 27

sessions spread over nine weeks, in 3 sessions per week.

Exercises: The exercises carried out to improve

competence in Spanish belong to the following typologies,

always starting from a tango song that was listened to,

reading the lyrics through musical reproduction:

• Identifying the protagonist of the song.

of the street, if it is used. From there, new

exercises might arise using these words in

different linguistic situations (such as completing

phrases, creating sentences, filling in gaps in the

lyrics of other tangos, etc.).

• Composing lyrics of tangos using certain verb

tenses (for example the past tense of regular and

irregular verbs).

• Rewriting the opposite song to the one that was

worked on.

• The new Lunfardo terms that appeared were

incorporated into the dictionary that is made up of

Lunfardo words.

• Once the debate was carried out, each student

filled in a self-evaluation form.

unless they have visited or lived in Argentina or have a

teacher of this nationality who has passed these words on

to them. Thus, when we started this work, through which

we detected the lunfardo words, looking for their origin in