I have received several emails from the DR and I use the internet to translate Spanish to English. I am also learning Spanish. I was taught that "I am going" is "voy" but pronounced "boy". The letters I receive all spell it "boy" and not "voy". Which is correct?
- Thread starter Rbh44
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Boy=Voy?
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B
BettyDiamond
Guest
Voy
Voy is correct from the verb "Ir" which is an irregular verb, most Dominicans are notoriously bad spellers, the education system is not the best in the world, and they spell by sound, not necessarily by knowing the correct spelling.
Voy is correct from the verb "Ir" which is an irregular verb, most Dominicans are notoriously bad spellers, the education system is not the best in the world, and they spell by sound, not necessarily by knowing the correct spelling.
Voy is correct...
The correct spelling is 'voy'. It's probably one of the most incorrectly spelt words in Spanish although so simple and stems from the fact that the two letters b and v pretty much carry the same sound in Spanish. However, the more likely to err are the undereducated group of speakers, which in the case of the DR it will be prevalent but not to say I have not seen it written incorrectly by university level students, business professionals, executives etc. Try correcting them and see their reaction. They will probably tell you that you are wrong but hold your ground. It's really a simple word that should be spelt correctly.
When in doubt always consult a dictionary as your primary resource. Here is the conjugation of the verb 'ir' (to go) in the present tense directly from the RAE dictionary (DICCIONARIO DE LA LENGUA ESPA?OLA ).
-Marianopolita.
The correct spelling is 'voy'. It's probably one of the most incorrectly spelt words in Spanish although so simple and stems from the fact that the two letters b and v pretty much carry the same sound in Spanish. However, the more likely to err are the undereducated group of speakers, which in the case of the DR it will be prevalent but not to say I have not seen it written incorrectly by university level students, business professionals, executives etc. Try correcting them and see their reaction. They will probably tell you that you are wrong but hold your ground. It's really a simple word that should be spelt correctly.
When in doubt always consult a dictionary as your primary resource. Here is the conjugation of the verb 'ir' (to go) in the present tense directly from the RAE dictionary (DICCIONARIO DE LA LENGUA ESPA?OLA ).
Presente
voy
vas
va
vamos
vais
van
voy
vas
va
vamos
vais
van
-Marianopolita.
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B
BettyDiamond
Guest
pronounciation
Sounds like creole to me...
talking about pronounciation - why is it that Dominicans cannot pronouce "r" or "rr" - it always comes out as "l"... ?
Sounds like creole to me...
talking about pronounciation - why is it that Dominicans cannot pronouce "r" or "rr" - it always comes out as "l"... ?
Not Creole sounding IMO...
This is a spelling error plain and simple due to the lack of education and proper schooling. It has nothing to with the Internet and short forms in writing that people use.
This question has been asked and answered in this forum a few times over the years.
The replacement of the /r/ for /l/ is a trait of Dominican speech as well as Puerto Rico and specifically in one province in Cuba. It is important to note that is not as prevalent a speech pattern of Cubans but it is certainly heard by Cuban speakers however, generally and readily associated with Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. Once again it?s a feature of less educated speech which in many cases in the DR it will be heard by the population as the average education of Dominicans is classified on the lower level of the scale. As a result, speech patterns such as this one and few others prevail in the DR by both rural and urban speakers. A Cuban scholar traced this speech pattern back to the Canary Islanders who settled in Cuba, the DR and PR during colonization. However, to add to this it would be interesting to know where those Canary Islanders originally came from or what influenced their speech to differ from Spanish spoken in Spain.
It may be perceived again as a critique of the lower class or the less educated however, it?s not the norm to hear educated speakers speaking with a change of the /r/ to /l/ in words such as amol (amor), puelta (puerta) hablal (hablar) etc. As well, educated speakers don?t normally begin to speak this way either rather they are aware of these speech patterns that are associated with the Dominican vernacular. Other Spanish speakers note it as well and definitely make comments. This is clearly one of the many reasons why Spanish spoken in the Caribbean is considered the most radical as compared to the standard as defined by the RAE and rules of grammar.
Another common trait is the incessant dropping of the /s/ and adding it where it does not belong and as a result speakers write very poorly in their native language. I have observed the confusion it causes in general and on DR1 too. In advanced linguistic studies these speech patterns have also been broken down by the demographics of a country?s speakers and I also observed this as well. It?s definitely a trait among a certain group as opposed to others.
If you are a foreigner observe the speech trait but don?t repeat it. You will just be opening up opportunity to be ridiculed. Yes, as discussed in previous threads it may be beneficial at times to sound local but IMO, there?s a difference between sounding local and sounding ridiculous. In general, people appreciate high quality Spanish.
-Marianopolita.
This is a spelling error plain and simple due to the lack of education and proper schooling. It has nothing to with the Internet and short forms in writing that people use.
Sounds like creole to me...
talking about pronounciation - why is it that Dominicans cannot pronouce "r" or "rr" - it always comes out as "l"... ?
This question has been asked and answered in this forum a few times over the years.
The replacement of the /r/ for /l/ is a trait of Dominican speech as well as Puerto Rico and specifically in one province in Cuba. It is important to note that is not as prevalent a speech pattern of Cubans but it is certainly heard by Cuban speakers however, generally and readily associated with Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. Once again it?s a feature of less educated speech which in many cases in the DR it will be heard by the population as the average education of Dominicans is classified on the lower level of the scale. As a result, speech patterns such as this one and few others prevail in the DR by both rural and urban speakers. A Cuban scholar traced this speech pattern back to the Canary Islanders who settled in Cuba, the DR and PR during colonization. However, to add to this it would be interesting to know where those Canary Islanders originally came from or what influenced their speech to differ from Spanish spoken in Spain.
It may be perceived again as a critique of the lower class or the less educated however, it?s not the norm to hear educated speakers speaking with a change of the /r/ to /l/ in words such as amol (amor), puelta (puerta) hablal (hablar) etc. As well, educated speakers don?t normally begin to speak this way either rather they are aware of these speech patterns that are associated with the Dominican vernacular. Other Spanish speakers note it as well and definitely make comments. This is clearly one of the many reasons why Spanish spoken in the Caribbean is considered the most radical as compared to the standard as defined by the RAE and rules of grammar.
Another common trait is the incessant dropping of the /s/ and adding it where it does not belong and as a result speakers write very poorly in their native language. I have observed the confusion it causes in general and on DR1 too. In advanced linguistic studies these speech patterns have also been broken down by the demographics of a country?s speakers and I also observed this as well. It?s definitely a trait among a certain group as opposed to others.
If you are a foreigner observe the speech trait but don?t repeat it. You will just be opening up opportunity to be ridiculed. Yes, as discussed in previous threads it may be beneficial at times to sound local but IMO, there?s a difference between sounding local and sounding ridiculous. In general, people appreciate high quality Spanish.
-Marianopolita.
Originally Posted by CFA123
klk, rbh.
como tu ta? es weno pa ti k toy en er inteln? hoy.
weno, lo k pasa e k er ecribe en lenguaje inteln? simple
Try smiling occasionally, it might look good on you.
klk, rbh.
como tu ta? es weno pa ti k toy en er inteln? hoy.
weno, lo k pasa e k er ecribe en lenguaje inteln? simple
Try smiling occasionally, it might look good on you.
I guess technically there isn't supposed to be a difference in pronuciation for V and B, they are both supposed to make an "explosive" B sound, versus the soft "v" sound. I find having studied french, it's easy to know which is to be used, as the root words will be the same. But it's kinda funny and sad at the say time when you see simple words misspelled, Se Bende, un Veso. I mean caman', un veso? really?
My favorite instance of this was not here, but in Uruguay, flyers all over town adverstising a tattoo shop, its name : "Tatoo 4Eber". That's some delicious irony right there.
My favorite instance of this was not here, but in Uruguay, flyers all over town adverstising a tattoo shop, its name : "Tatoo 4Eber". That's some delicious irony right there.
I agree El _Uruguayo...
I think we definitely see eye to eye here and when I read your post I immediately thought of the expression 'todo depende del cristal a trav?s del cual se mire'. It may seem funny to some but after a while it really speaks to the deficiency in education and the need for change. If the vast majority of the population is illiterate or semi-illiterate it impedes development and progress. As you said simple words like voy and beso are frequently misspelt along with other words that have /b/ and /v/. In my experience, I find it frustrating when someone (an adult) tells you that your correct spelling is incorrect. Keeping in mind it's not only in the DR one will see this. It's a problem in all of Latin America and even more so in countries where the educational system is really below standard and the DR is one of them.
In March there was article in El Caribe about the illiteracy campaign and the Secretary of Education's plan to eradicate illiteracy in the DR in three years. There was supposed to be a detailed follow up in forty-five days about the plan and strategy. I have yet to see an article in the papers and I will gladly look again now that the topic has surfaced once more for discussion. Besides the fact that there is an obvious illiteracy problem among children and adults alike, what is the first step in the analysis? I think the Secretary of Education needs to look at the competency of the teachers. I have seen how some spell and write. Therefore, in addition to deficient education, the educators as well are part of the problem. Three years is very unrealistic IMO. It's common that hand written signs have many incorrectly spelt words and other grammatical deficiencies as well.
Indeed!
-Marianopolita.
I think we definitely see eye to eye here and when I read your post I immediately thought of the expression 'todo depende del cristal a trav?s del cual se mire'. It may seem funny to some but after a while it really speaks to the deficiency in education and the need for change. If the vast majority of the population is illiterate or semi-illiterate it impedes development and progress. As you said simple words like voy and beso are frequently misspelt along with other words that have /b/ and /v/. In my experience, I find it frustrating when someone (an adult) tells you that your correct spelling is incorrect. Keeping in mind it's not only in the DR one will see this. It's a problem in all of Latin America and even more so in countries where the educational system is really below standard and the DR is one of them.
In March there was article in El Caribe about the illiteracy campaign and the Secretary of Education's plan to eradicate illiteracy in the DR in three years. There was supposed to be a detailed follow up in forty-five days about the plan and strategy. I have yet to see an article in the papers and I will gladly look again now that the topic has surfaced once more for discussion. Besides the fact that there is an obvious illiteracy problem among children and adults alike, what is the first step in the analysis? I think the Secretary of Education needs to look at the competency of the teachers. I have seen how some spell and write. Therefore, in addition to deficient education, the educators as well are part of the problem. Three years is very unrealistic IMO. It's common that hand written signs have many incorrectly spelt words and other grammatical deficiencies as well.
This one speaks for itself...seen entering Mao from Esperanza.
Indeed!
-Marianopolita.
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The b/v pronunciation was one of the first things I learned many years ago because it confused me when I was learning Spanish. Dominicans even pronounce the letters the same when they're spelling a word. My husband told me to ask "b como burro, or v como vaca?" Sometimes I get a momentary blank look when I ask that.
Kind of related....my husband's grandmother was born near Santiago around 1879 with the Italian surname Vesco. Between the v/b and the dropping of s it was pronounced Beco. Over the generations the name was actually changed to Beco on legal documents. It ended up costing her a lot of money many years ago - the Italian government had someone in DR looking for Vesco descendants to claim an inheritance, but she couldn't prove she was really a Vesco - all her paperwork said Beco. We guess the Italian government got the estate.
Kind of related....my husband's grandmother was born near Santiago around 1879 with the Italian surname Vesco. Between the v/b and the dropping of s it was pronounced Beco. Over the generations the name was actually changed to Beco on legal documents. It ended up costing her a lot of money many years ago - the Italian government had someone in DR looking for Vesco descendants to claim an inheritance, but she couldn't prove she was really a Vesco - all her paperwork said Beco. We guess the Italian government got the estate.
Here is a variation on the spelling of night. Espaillat, a few blocks from El Maleco'n. I'm not picking on the DR. I find similar examples all over the US. Just trying to keep it DR related.
This impeccably dressed young man proudly wearing the Dominican Air Force uniform, had a different spelling on his cap for Fuerza Aerea.What a relief to see that this discussion is taking place. Oh, my God! This thread needs everyone's attention (in my humble opinion). I really (REALLY) dislike how my people speak. It is very sad to say the least and I know that for the most part it is not their fault. The funny thing about all of this is that if you show up speaking the correct way some Dominicans will act like you're just trying to be fancy with your language or maybe trying to act like you're better. How ridiculous! I feel bad that most Dominicans just totally murder the Spanish Language!
Has anyone ever faced that if you speak properly people will act like you're just trying to sound fancy or just acting like you are better than everyone around you?
The truth is that the DR educational system needs a complete makeover!
Has anyone ever faced that if you speak properly people will act like you're just trying to sound fancy or just acting like you are better than everyone around you?
The truth is that the DR educational system needs a complete makeover!
Seeing the name "DR DEFENDER" I thought you were going to come in and defend this, haha, good on you. As for speaking proper, since I'm a foreigner for some reason people think I'm spanish, sometimes, argentinian, sometimes Italian. I'm Uru-Canadian. On occasion I get funny looks for speaking proper - mostly from dudes. From chicks I've received many compliments, so I guess it's not completely looked down upon.
And I agree, its not really peoples fault - lack of education and mentors you could say - sometimes coloquialisms(sp?) can be contagious - even fun! I will on occasion drop the s, use the l, or even the i, for fun - other's (the younger generation) might do this, because it's "cool."
Maybe we could create an elite force of spelling vigilantes, go around town at night, correcting all ads, and signs that contain spelling mistakes with spray paint - haha.
And I agree, its not really peoples fault - lack of education and mentors you could say - sometimes coloquialisms(sp?) can be contagious - even fun! I will on occasion drop the s, use the l, or even the i, for fun - other's (the younger generation) might do this, because it's "cool."
Maybe we could create an elite force of spelling vigilantes, go around town at night, correcting all ads, and signs that contain spelling mistakes with spray paint - haha.
It would be nice to have examples...
Well you seem passionate about the thread and the issue at hand. Can you be more specific with some examples about Dominican speech that bothers you? It would be nice to get examples from others posters as only very few critique effectively and actually provide examples of the flaws in Dominican speech. I am one of them and most likely a broken record by now so it would be great to get a fresh perspective and examples.
It would also be interesting to compare and probably be revealing to many because I know that many Dominicans don't even realize the incorrect speech patterns that prevail in their vernacular.
A range of experiences are common and the mockery is usually by the less educated. I have seen it somewhat and heard about by others. Educated people usually respect good language and speech. They know the value of it. For example, not dropping your s's and proper sentence structure. I also don't believe in the false sense of national pride that speaking more xxx makes you more xxx.
Same response as above applies.
~Marianopolita.
Well you seem passionate about the thread and the issue at hand. Can you be more specific with some examples about Dominican speech that bothers you? It would be nice to get examples from others posters as only very few critique effectively and actually provide examples of the flaws in Dominican speech. I am one of them and most likely a broken record by now so it would be great to get a fresh perspective and examples.
It would also be interesting to compare and probably be revealing to many because I know that many Dominicans don't even realize the incorrect speech patterns that prevail in their vernacular.
A range of experiences are common and the mockery is usually by the less educated. I have seen it somewhat and heard about by others. Educated people usually respect good language and speech. They know the value of it. For example, not dropping your s's and proper sentence structure. I also don't believe in the false sense of national pride that speaking more xxx makes you more xxx.
Same response as above applies.
~Marianopolita.
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