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Dominican grammar and Spanish
The most common word for slang in Spanish is jerga. Dominican slang is jerga dominicana.
This website will be helpful www.jergadominicana.com
-MP.
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Here is the dictionary definition (word reference):
http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=jerga
jerga nf
(habla de un grupo)
slang n
Los chavales hablan su propia jerga para que nadie les entienda.
jerga nf
coloquial (lenguaje técnico)
jargon, argot n
Es muy difícil entender este texto pues hay mucha jerga técnica.
Based on the dictionary definition how is jerga not slang?
-MP.
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Yesterday in conversation with a colleague (that I met for the first time) about various topics asked me the following:
¿Dóndes lo aprendiste?
In all my years I have never heard anyone add /s/ to that question word. Wow! That is not good Spanish and even the Caribbean that’s often critiqued I have never heard that. After hearing it I suspected she was from Central America and I asked her. Bingo! She said El Salvador. I was not surprised.
Spanish is a wonderful language and like any other there are plenty of incorrect verb forms, words, phrases etc. in everyday speech. You just have to be aware.
-MP.
¿Dóndes lo aprendiste?
In all my years I have never heard anyone add /s/ to that question word. Wow! That is not good Spanish and even the Caribbean that’s often critiqued I have never heard that. After hearing it I suspected she was from Central America and I asked her. Bingo! She said El Salvador. I was not surprised.
Spanish is a wonderful language and like any other there are plenty of incorrect verb forms, words, phrases etc. in everyday speech. You just have to be aware.
-MP.
Some good resources are found here, and the cool thing is that they have audio voiced by a Dominicano, which really helps you get familiar with the crazy accent...
https://www.grittyspanish.com/2018/...diomatic-expressions-learn-dominican-spanish/
And
https://www.grittyspanish.com/2017/01/01/7-dominican-slang-words-and-phrases-to-know/
Also:
https://www.grittyspanish.com/2017/07/12/some-really-popular-everyday-dominican-slang-words-sayings/
https://www.grittyspanish.com/2018/...diomatic-expressions-learn-dominican-spanish/
And
https://www.grittyspanish.com/2017/01/01/7-dominican-slang-words-and-phrases-to-know/
Also:
https://www.grittyspanish.com/2017/07/12/some-really-popular-everyday-dominican-slang-words-sayings/
As Dominican I can tell that Jerga is correct, is like when you says Hey dime donde es el coro hoy? nos lanzamos hoy yo tengo ya el efe t. Just one example of Dominican Jerga or slang in English.
I know this is quite old, but reading this I find it worrying how many people (dominicans include) think that Informal Dominican Vernacular is "improper" Spanish, or that it is incorrect. It is not. No Dialect of any language is "wrong", it´s just part of the natural evolution of languages. In every society there is formal and informal speech, each with it´s own rules, and people speak it on a spectrum; usually people with a lower education will speak mostly informal while someone with a higher education will speak formally whenever it´s neeeded. Social interactions are complex, and what´s the right or wrong language to use depends on the context, sometimes vernacular IS the right choise.
You can tell Dominican Informal Spanish isn´t just improper Spanish when you see how those "mistakes" many people point out are structural, For example, changing Rs for Ls. This only happends at the end of syllables, like "puelta" (puerta), "caltón" (cartón), "tallel" (taller). Also note how this doesn´t happen with infinitive verbs, in this case the R is dropped: "caminá" (caminar), "corré" (correr), decí (decir). So you can see we are not talking about random mistakes, but a systemic evolution of the language.
You can tell Dominican Informal Spanish isn´t just improper Spanish when you see how those "mistakes" many people point out are structural, For example, changing Rs for Ls. This only happends at the end of syllables, like "puelta" (puerta), "caltón" (cartón), "tallel" (taller). Also note how this doesn´t happen with infinitive verbs, in this case the R is dropped: "caminá" (caminar), "corré" (correr), decí (decir). So you can see we are not talking about random mistakes, but a systemic evolution of the language.
People do change R to L in the spoken language with infinitives. Your examples just show when the R is dropped but what about those who say Hablal instead of Hablar, Caminal instead of Caminar, Decil instead of Decir just using infinitives alone there are a wealth of examples.
When you say a ‘systemic evolution of the language’ it sounds like it’s a recent process when in fact these changes go back to colonization and the influence of Afro speech which had a significant impact on the speech of the Antilles.
I posted this article in another thread but I will add the link here. If you can read in Spanish you may find it interesting about the R to L change in Caribbean Spanish and other linguistic features.
¿Por qué en el Caribe muchos pronuncian la letra "r" como si fuera una "l"? - BBC News Mundo
Se trata de una tendencia exactamente opuesta a la original, proveniente de Andalucía, que se registra en lugares como las costas caribeñas de Colombia y Venezuela, algunas zonas de Panamá, Cuba y República Dominicana, y de forma más extendida, en "Puelto" Rico.
www.bbc.com
-MP.