Vaina

[Xavier_Onassis]

Vaina, I agree, is used when a person lacks the vocabulary to describe things specifically.In US English, we have, gizmo, thigamabob, thigamajig, and whatchamacallit.



Dominicans (at least outside SD) do not read much. If you want a newspaper in Barahona, there is just one guy that always has them at the bus station.

I went for a walk once, and was surprised to see an guy in his fifties actually reading a book. Just that once.

 

[Marianopolita]

For some reasons, every time I initially hear a Dominican anglicism which are numerous, I am absolutely clueless.

I think it's because the pronunciation is so bad. They pronounce the English word using Spanish phonetics. The average Dominican does not speak English but may have heard some English via TV, tourism and now with the Internet there is more exposure than ever but some of the pronunciation can really throw you off at first.



-MP.

 

[Chirimoya]

I've noticed differences in pronunciation of anglicisms between Spanish speakers in Latin America and in Spain.

E.g. Hamburger. In Spain it is hamburguesa or hamburger pronounced phonetically as a Spanish word - khamBOORger. In the DR (not so sure about rest of LAC) it is khamBERger - based on the English pronunciation

 

[Fulano2]

Jonron encuentro una deformación fea.

 

[Marianopolita]

I've noticed differences in pronunciation of anglicisms between Spanish speakers in Latin America and in Spain.

E.g. Hamburger. In Spain it is hamburguesa or hamburger pronounced phonetically as a Spanish word - khamBOORger. In the DR (not so sure about rest of LAC) it is khamBERger - based on the English pronunciation

In your examples in Spain hamburger is said with Spanish phonetics whereas in the DR the attempt is more English sounding. To identify a possible trend more examples are needed.

One aspect I don't understand is why Dominicans say Cánada instead of Canadá the latter is the correct in Spanish. Other Spanish speakers have noticed this too and ask why. I wish I knew. They are saying Canada with English pronunciation rules (stress patterns) and not Spanish. That does not make sense.

-MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

Jonron encuentro una deformación fea.

In professional sports especially those that are popular in North America there are a lot of English derived equivalents.

Baseball and soccer are two prime examples. Most often a Spanish equivalent exists but you hear the anglicism just as commonly used as well.

-MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

To those reading this thread what is your experience with foreigners who try to sound local? For example, using the word vaina in their conversation or other local expressions. I have made some observations about this concept and I am just wondering if others have noticed when foreigners try to speak like locals.


-MP.

 

[bob saunders]

I have never heard my wife use the word even when she is talking with people whose every second word is vaina. Supermarket is used in general conversation my lots of Dominicans.

 

[Chirimoya]

In your examples in Spain hamburger is said with Spanish phonetics whereas in the DR the attempt is more English sounding. To identify a possible trend more examples are needed.

One aspect I don't understand is why Dominicans say Cánada instead of Canadá the latter is the correct in Spanish. Other Spanish speakers have noticed this too and ask why. I wish I knew. They are saying Canada with English pronunciation rules (stress patterns) and not Spanish. That does not make sense.

-MP.

Here's one example where it works the other way. In Spain video is often pronounced bid-yo, emulating the English pronunciation, whereas in L. America people pronounce it phonetically as a Spanish word.

 

[Derfish]

Blue jeans have come a long way in the D.R.

From "pantalones de fuerte Azul" (denim), to Rodeo (pronounced 'ro-deh-oh'), which was a popular brand; and via Puerto Rico (since we're copiones of the first magnitude), we started calling them mahones (ma-oh-nes). Now it's just bluyín.

We now hear 'pampel' as in Pampers, instead of pañales: Quiero que pases por la Sirena y me compres un paquete de pampel, pero de marca Huggies.

It's our version of Fed-Exing a document via UPS.

And no one says car wash... demasia'o folmal, como si uno tiviera hablando inglé. Se dice CAL-UÁ, unless you're from Baní.

Then there is poloche. Took me a long time to figure it out as polo shirt!

 

[Derfish]

To those reading this thread what is your experience with foreigners who try to sound local? For example, using the word vaina in their conversation or other local expressions. I have made some observations about this concept and I am just wondering if others have noticed when foreigners try to speak like locals.


-MP.

Depends on what meaning you put to foreigners. I am in Panama, but associate almost exclusively with Colombians and Venezuelans which are foreigners in actuality, and they sound right saying vaina and cono. But when a canadian friend in Puerto Plata tried to use cono it sounded kind of weird.
Der Fish

 

[Chirimoya]

Swearing in a language other than your first should be approached with caution. Some words might be inoffensive or not so bad in some regions and obscene in others - which applies to both Spanish and English.

It's not enough to know what the word means, you also have to know how strong its shock value is in order to use it effectively, in the correct context, and in the right company.

 

[sanpedrogringo]

To those reading this thread what is your experience with foreigners who try to sound local? For example, using the word vaina in their conversation or other local expressions. I have made some observations about this concept and I am just wondering if others have noticed when foreigners try to speak like locals.


-MP.

When I first started visiting DR I heard vaina all the time. Never thought much of it. Then I moved here, and continued to hear it. Tried looking it up, and couldn't find a thing. All I knew was that Dominican singer Antony Santos used it all the time in his live performances. It was driving me insane. I asked a Dominican friend in New York one day, "Hey, what's with this word vaina?....what does it mean?" He busted out laughing for 5 minutes. Real belly pain laugh. He told me "it meant and covered everything". Kind of reminds me of the scene in the movie Donnie Brasco with the word 'fuggedaboutit'. Anyway, as my time here in the DR lengthened, I noticed the word starting to mix into my vernacular, not because I wanted to sound like the locals or fit it, but rather it would just slip out in the flow of a conversation. The first time locals would hear it from me they would be taken a back, and then start laughing, and ask me to repeat it to others. I really didn't know what they were speaking about. Then I caught on. It was all in good fun, and many laughs were had. To this day, when I encounter a new person and use a word or phrase as such, most locals do a double take, but at the same time, they also gain an immediate understanding that I know klk or what is what, and a different more respectful approach is taken with me. This has also carried over into my return trips to New York when I frequent Dominican themed businesses (restaurants or bars). I find many people develop a comfort level that would not be attained if you did not speak as such. Kind of like going from a formal setting to a relaxed setting. Windsor knotted tie to an open collar. I'm not saying use the word vaina or klk in a restaurant or bar setting (which could get you into some quick serious trouble), but there are many other phrases that are 100% Dominican, and when used in front of a person it puts them at ease. It is an automatic comfort level that sets in. It still amazes me the amount of long-term expats here in the DR that do not speak Spanish, nor wish to learn it, especially with all the tools available on the internet today. It really does make life not just easier, but safer. One of the things that has always made me cringe is when a tourist/expat/gringo starts speaking to Dominicans in English, Italian, or French, and then look bewildered when the person doesn't respond to them quickly. They then ask the question louder. And louder again. I used to run into this problem when I lived in Juan Dolio, which had many foreigners. It was like nails on a chalkboard. I would do the informal translations for both parties. It would go on for so long that I had to stop, and told people jokingly they would have to pay me to translate. One or two questions ok, a two hour conversation is different. Que vaina.

 

[Marianopolita]

Depends on what meaning you put to foreigners. I am in Panama, but associate almost exclusively with Colombians and Venezuelans which are foreigners in actuality, and they sound right saying vaina and cono. But when a canadian friend in Puerto Plata tried to use cono it sounded kind of weird.
Der Fish

Foreigners as in non Spanish-speaking tourists or residents. As well, residents who have learned some Spanish over time but at the end of the day they are still seen as a foreigner. A Colombian or Venezuelan in Panama are not foreigners in context I am referring to as they are all Spanish-speaking.



-MP. 

 

[Marianopolita]

Here's one example where it works the other way. In Spain video is often pronounced bid-yo, emulating the English pronunciation, whereas in L. America people pronounce it phonetically as a Spanish word.

However, the word video does have two official ways of spelling it in Spanish thus changing the pronunciation.




It is either video or vídeo.







http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=video.

Quite different from the hamburger example. The first spelling and pronunciation is more common in Latin America and the second in Spain. For me it's always video  


-MP.

 

[Marianopolita]

sanpedrogringo,

That's a lot of topics in one response but I understand what you are saying completely. To be simple the word vaina is classified as a 'sociolect' and that is the way I analyze the usage of the word. From some people I expect it and from others because of their level of education, profession, social class not so much. For me I put in the same category as many of the local Dominican words you hear. Good to know and understand but not necessarily to use. Choice of the speaker.


-MP.

 

[Fulano2]

I think of the word "cosa" for everything the can't qualify at the moment. Or worse "coso", I don't know if that's typical Cibao though.
"El coso ese".
Vaina on the other hand is not always used when they cant remember the name, mor like a firmer way of commanding. "Quita esa vaina de ahi!" Vaina could be a bucket or a bike in this sense.

 

[Lucifer]

Then there is poloche. Took me a long time to figure it out as polo shirt!

Good one, Derf.

Then there's the smaller size: polochecito

 

[Derfish]

So how about the word irritated? I tried irritado and the lady thought I was trying to say irradiated. We were looking at a laboratory report in English that I was trying to explain to her. It was saying the skin was irritated.
Which brings me to another mystery in my journey of Spanish. If intimacy is intimidad how would one say intimidated?

 

[Chirimoya]

Irritado or in the case of skin (la piel) irritada is correct so it may have been a pronunciation issue.
Intimidar is to intimidate, so intimidado/a is intimidated.