Regional Differences Within D.R.

I'm pretty sure AZB will have a complete rundown on how much better Santiago is from ANY other area in the entire island.

Talldrink said:

I'm pretty sure AZB will have a complete rundown on how much better Santiago is from ANY other area in the entire island.

Click to expand...

Really? I hadn't noticed that theme in any of his previous posts.

Larry

A few obervation of my own.
Sto Dgo has a very metropolitan and modern feel compared to the rest of the country. Even Santiago. I have heard of Santiago being called "un campo con luz" by people after visiting Sto. Dgo.
I personna;lly prefer "La Linea". That is the area including Ezperanza, Mao, Monte Cristi etc. It definitely has a more rural feeling about it. By that, I mean the average person is less educated and more poor than those of larger cities. Also, un-paved road general poor infra-structure are more coomon there.
In San Jose de las Matas, people are more European looking than in Santiago etc. That is due to the heavy Spanish influence that is still visible there.
There are language difference as well. SOme areas replace the "R" sound with an "L" sound or "I" sound. The campesinos will add an "S" where it doesn't belong. And remove it where it does belong. For example, my last name Douglas was often pronounce Doosgla or doogla
I am sure other have more to add. But these are a few of the things that I have seen.

well....

I have lived in Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete, and Santiago and there are many differences! People in larger cities,, their dialect seems more proper ... I hear more usted then tu and things like that! Also seems that really not what city the people live in but where in the cities they live! Such as in a barrio or in an American/European type neighborhood ... in Barrios, much more people in the street with rum and beer.

Honestly I can not come to a grand generalization. Dominicans are unique and intresting people and they are all different in ways in the same in others!

Gata

The stereotypes go something like this:
- Everyone from El Cibao is a campesino and speaks with the "I" in places where is doesn't belong. (i.e. ei lapaitamento)....
- People from The Capital and the east use the "L" where it doesn't belong (i.e. Me vol a banal).
- The south in turns uses a very strong "R" including using where it doesn't belong as well (i.e. El Acerte - Aceite).

There are also many differences in what people call certain things. This is pretty amazing to me in such a small country, but it gives clues as to how languages develop.
For instance I have a compadre who's from Azua (I'm from Cotui) and a lot of times I have no clue what he's talking about. Just the other day he was telling me a story and he mentioned that this guy was carrying another guy "a ?ango" and I was like "what???" so he's like "You know when you carry someone on your back", so I was like "ohhh...you mean A calito me"...
Just one example of how the same thing is called something different in differente regions of the country.

In terms of religious practice I would dare say that certain areas where there's a higher concentration of african descendants (south, border with Haiti and the east) people tend to really believe in voodoo, santeria and stuff like that. This BTW happens all over the country. People call themselves catholics, for the most part, but almost everyone believes in Brujeria, prender velas, papa candelo, etc...Obviously the more educated a person is the less they believe in that stuff.

I have lived in Santo Domingo, Santiago, and La Romana and know other towns well. People in coastal towns with tourism have more contact with foreign influences (like SD, Puerto Plata, and LR) and are in general more socially liberal than people from the "interior" where the pace of life is more traditional. Santiago, in spite of its size and diversified economy, remains proudly provincial in character and spirit. More so than some of the much smaller coastal towns. They are also more into social pseudo-castes, etc. Having said that, regional differences are mostly negligible otherwise. There are some regional variations of typical dishes, in customs, as well as the already mentioned minor speech usage differences. The Cibao region has always been agriculturally wealthier and there is a rural middle class there. The East and the South rural areas have large sugar estates owned by a few powerful concerns so that more poor peasants who barely survive live in chronic cultural isolation and economic deprivation. Everyone, everywhere, loves baseball.
- Tordok

San Pedro de Macoris

When I first went there I was curious to why so many baseball players come from there in DR, and than I seen the passion in there eyes to be the best baseball player they can be to make it to the US to play in the majors and also give there family a better way of life. I have been to many places in DR and this place is one of my most favorite places in DR to visit to watch these guys play baseball I love talking to the people especially the young kids who idolize the Dominicans players in the majors and they want to help out there town if they make it just like so many Dominicans from San Pedro have helped modernize it.