R to L in Caribbean spanish
My comments and observations about R to L:
Here is an interesting video clip on a language phenomenon that is common in the Caribbean specifically in Puerto Rico but also heard in the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
The change of R to L is very common in the Puerto Rican vernacular (an identifier in my opinion along with the accent itself). For ex,
amor is pronounced as
amol,
hablar as
hablal,
vender as
vendel ,
manejar as
manejal etc.
In my observation, not all Puerto Ricans speak with the R to L change and I also noticed it is more typical of the island as opposed to those who grew up in NYC first generation, second generation etc. There are exceptions especially if the speaker is among other Puerto Ricans who speak that way. However, if the person moved from PR to NYC with that speech pattern it usually remains.
In the DR, in addition to this speech pattern there is another phenomenon associated with it which is L to R. For ex,
capital becomes
capitar.
In Cuba, the phenomenon is the same as PR, R to L but not all of Cuba. What I observed with Cubans specifically is education combined with the region is really a factor.
For anyone learning Spanish these speech patterns are not recommended as they are not the standard and they will not make you sound more native. The irony is people will ask you- why are you speaking like that. I have witnessed this and the foreigner did not know what to answer.
What is interesting is the history behind the R to L in the video and the incorrect imitations by others Spanish speakers when they try to imitate it. I have heard people try to imitate this speech when talking about how some Puerto Ricans speak and they do it incorrectly almost all the time.
If you have not heard this speech phenomenon just go on You Tube. There are plenty of examples and I will tell you there is a trend that is noticeable among those who speak this way and those who don’t.
References:
If you are interested in this aspect of linguistics, a book like this is recommended. I have read quite a few and all provide great linguistic insight.
https://books.google.ca/books?id=bN...#v=onepage&q=r to l change in spanish&f=false
-MP.