You are more Argentinean than the 'che', is a common phrase in the land of Lionel Messi and Diego Armando Maradona. However, no matter how much its popularity has grown thanks to the characteristic Argentine accent, the reality is that this expression did not originate in the 'albiceleste' territory.
Some historians claim that its origin is located in Spain, others that its roots are from Italy. They have even suggested that it has links to Arabic expressions or even Sephardic Jews. Although there is no consensus on its birth, the only certainty is that Argentina adopted it.
The Valencian 'che'
If you are a football fan, you probably know that there is a Spanish club called "el equipo che". It is the Valencia C. F., one of the most popular teams in the Iberian country. In fact, the institution has its own television channel called "che" and a magazine called "che, che, che".
Although different Argentine footballers have played for Valencia, the origin of "che" in that city is much more remote. It is a word that has been used for several centuries to emphasize something, express anger, or simply as a meaningless interjection, just like today in Argentina.
And how could it travel to South America? Due to the Spanish Civil War, thousands of Valencians had to leave Spain forcibly by the dictatorship. In addition, between 1857 and 1935, almost 3 million Spaniards arrived in Buenos Aires, which would have caused the "migration" of this famous expression.
A Venetian jargon
Now, from Italian lands, they also claim the "patent" of this expression. Specifically, they point out that its origin is in Venice, whose most well-known dialect, cocoliche, is the one that gave rise to one of the most widespread jargons in Argentina: the lunfardo of the Río de la Plata.
The uses and meanings they gave it in Italy are the same as in Spain, although its spelling was "ce". Thus, with the arrival of more than 6 million Italian immigrants to Argentina, it is also speculated that the influence of "che" may have been borrowed from Venice and not just from Valencia.
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