Why do they sometimes pronounce an 's' where ther isn't supposed to be one?

gerd

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Jan 10, 2002
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Dominicans usually leave out a lot of 's' when they speak. No doubt about this.

Now what I have heard occasionally (not very often, but often enough to make me wonder) that some people put an 's' in words where there is none.
Examples:
GuiStarra
CapiStan
PeSque?a

These 3 are the only ones that come to my mind at the moment, though I've heard it in other words too, mostly when the letter 't' follows.

I have developped my own theory, why this is so but I am completely open to learn better, in case I'm wrong or totally ridiculous:

Probably the person who does this, does not know to read or write very well. However he does know, that dominicans do omit a lot of 's'. Being in front of a foreigner, he tries to sound very elegant and correct and puts the 'S' in a place where it is not required.

Does this make sense?
 

mkohn

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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I agree that people are trying to sound more educated than they are.
I think in some places you might hear "bacalado" instead of 'bacalao' for the same reason.
I always thought when referring to more than one mother, mamases is kind of cute.
mk
 

Talldrink

El Mujeron
Jan 7, 2004
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There are ifferent ways of speaking in every country!

I know people from el Cibao say things that should have an I without it:
example: Aceite - they say Acerte.

Is just like in the US, every area has a different way of saying things talking 'country' The first time I heard the word Yonder, I thought the guy was playing, here in NJ, that is running joke!
 

gerd

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Jan 10, 2002
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Chirimoya said:
Yes, your guess is correct. We analysed it in this recent thread.

Chiri

Thanks, very interesting, I had missed that thread. Btw, that thread drifted into talking about various accents or dialects, or whatever, just like the remark above, that some people according to their region say acerte instead of aceite.

This is a lot different. Accents are accents. No problem, pol favol.

Trying to put a letter where there isn't one, in order to sound educated in front of someone who "expects fine language" is something different. Those people wouldn't make this "mistake" among their friends/families because they wouldn't feel the pressure to express themselves "fisno".
 

mountainfrog

On Vacation!
Dec 8, 2003
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www.domrep-info.com
Easy Answer

The omitted "ss" are put in other places, where they normally do not belong.
Count them and you will find that all the "ss" are accounted for.
So, where is the problem?
Oh, these gringos!
Frog
 

Captdavid

New member
Feb 19, 2004
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This is so funny. The proorly alphabetized Dominicans put their extra sss where they don't belong because they, in fact, think they sound more refined when they do it. But it has nothing to do with trying to impress the foreigners since they have been doing this for centuries. I am Dominican and always thought it sounded hillarious when they did that.

The people from "El Cibao" replace the r's with i's - Example: comei, instead of comer. They eliminate syllables such as "pa" instead of "para" and eliminate "s" at the end of words such as "ma" instead of "mas". As a result, this is what you get - "vamo pa comei".

The people from Santo Domingo are not much better. They replace the r's with "l's"and you might get something like this: Vamo pal palque. For the benefit of those who cannot figure it out, it means vamos para el parque.
And you thought Spanish was going to be easy?

I'll never forget one incident when I was little, this man came looking for his daughter and he wanted to sound so refined that this is what he said:
Sasludo, eta las sesnorista Bascisilia? Translation: Saludo, esta la senorita Basilia? True story.

Corky
 
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Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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This is a common linguistic occurence

Genreally speaking, when people that are less educated are speaking with people they perceive to be higher educated, they will do what is called linguistic compensation.

Plastanos for platanos
Sis for s?

they do this because they know that they eat '' eses" and so they put them in where they 'think' they might go.

One of our cooks, Martina, always called my daughter Mirstha (Mirtha)
She was known to say: Do?a, no are plastanos (No har plastanos)"

This is basically a defense mechanism for the less educated. it happens in English when people start to use words they think sound highly educated, but they use them in the wrong context or with a wrong meaning....George W. is a case in point. Mrs. Malaprop was another.

HB
 

Talldrink

El Mujeron
Jan 7, 2004
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Lol

George W Bush sounds like a great example of how peole 'try' to sound emaducated. He would sound like a big chopo from ei campo if he were Dominican :glasses:
 

ZEUS

Bronze
Feb 14, 2003
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'ya'll come back .. ya hear..
somos dominicanos y al que le pique que se rasque (arrasque)..

BIBA Kisqueya la Vella ( LOL)

just kidding

Zues (primus inter pares) :devious: :p :p :bored: