El español dominicano

Kipling333

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Jan 12, 2010
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That's quite a long sentence...

Yes but I quite liked it and actually I was not talking exclusively about slang either .I have travelled a lot to various latin countries andI think that the spanish of the DR people in general is quite unique. The biggest problem I have is understanding some young people speaking their spanish whereas I have absolutely no problem con los viejos como yo
 

Dominicanese

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Sep 1, 2015
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Yes but I quite liked it and actually I was not talking exclusively about slang either .I have travelled a lot to various latin countries andI think that the spanish of the DR people in general is quite unique. The biggest problem I have is understanding some young people speaking their spanish whereas I have absolutely no problem con los viejos como yo

this is very true i too have traveled alot, the only places that come close to our accent would be the spanish spoken in eastern cuba (oriente), barlovento-venezuela, and some isolated pockets of some afro populations in colombia and panama

humeriously some mexican told me that we speak a Jamaican Spanish version lol
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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'The Sweet Sounds of the Caribbean'

To add more detail to this thread, I found an interesting blog article written by a language company whose information I have read before about the varieties of Spanish. However, this is the first time I have come across this one and it’s a gem.

What is written in their Spanish language blog is consistent with my readings not to mention the importance of understanding that many of the features mentioned are heard across what is considered to be the Caribbean Spanish-speaking countries and not just the Dominican Republic. Similar to what I pointed out in my second post in this thread. The first three features as per the article are not only heard in Dominican Spanish. They are heard in other parts of Latin America as well which this blog also mentions.



http://blogs.transparent.com/spanish/the-sweet-sounds-of-caribbean-spanish/


This is a recommended read (and a treat for anyone who likes rhythmic authentically sounding Cuban salsa). Every time I read commentaries like this one and information about the varieties of the spoken language my thoughts are the same. Learn standard Spanish, build your foundation and expose yourself to as many of the varieties as you can and you will grasp the language. What you don’t understand ask. Trying to learn one variety will limit you. Slang is just that slang. If you catch it great if you don’t speak normal Spanish.


[video=youtube_share;lMAk3HgjjvE]https://youtu.be/lMAk3HgjjvE[/video]


Good salsa, Caribbean Spanish, Caribbean rhythm. ¡Qué chévere!

-MP.
 
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Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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Love that song MP !!!!!!!!!!!

Again I am a Timba fan. :smoke:

Yes, it's good timba and there are so many other good ones both old and new of the Cuban genre.


Going back to what the article mentions about Caribbean Spanish and songs. It is a great way to train your ear for those who say Caribbean Spanish is difficult to understand. 

Es una buena oportunidad de aprender y practicar el idioma.


-MP.
 

Dominicanese

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Sep 1, 2015
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Yes, it's good timba and there are so many other good ones both old and new of the Cuban genre.


Going back to what the article mentions about Caribbean Spanish and songs. It is a great way to train your ear for those who say Caribbean Spanish is difficult to understand. 

Es una buena oportunidad de aprender y practicar el idioma.


-MP.

would u say that caribbean spanish is similar to the anglo & franco caribbean dialects since they have similar history than us including up to having a specific european origin, for example, all caribbean english speakers have their base in Hiberno English which is the English spoken in Southern Ireland such as Cork, very very similar sounding to the point where a jamaican may be mistaken for a local there, and all franco caribbean french have their base in Normandi French and they get taken for a local as well but with minor differences which would be the African languages and some others
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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would u say that caribbean spanish is similar to the anglo & franco caribbean dialects since they have similar history than us including up to having a specific european origin, for example, all caribbean english speakers have their base in Hiberno English which is the English spoken in Southern Ireland such as Cork, very very similar sounding to the point where a jamaican may be mistaken for a local there, and all franco caribbean french have their base in Normandi French and they get taken for a local as well but with minor differences which would be the African languages and some others

I have no idea. The historial aspects of Caribbean English and French are not my areas of expertise but I have noted that I can perceive and differentiate like radar a Caribbean French speaker from let's say a West African French speaker. Different rhythm, different intonation.


-MP.
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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As a general comment when discussing features of Caribbean Spanish it's not only about the accent and pronunciation of the words that make its Spanish unique. There are many grammatical patterns that are atypical and considered incorrect by academic and purist standards. However, they persist as part of the vernacular of the Caribbean. Research often compares the three Caribbean nations, Cuba, DR and PR in this regard because all three have the same grammatical speech patterns in common. Vocabulary differs because of historical factors but each nation has its share of vocabulary that dates back to colonization.


-MP.
 

Dominicanese

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As a general comment when discussing features of Caribbean Spanish it's not only about the accent and pronunciation of the words that make its Spanish unique. There are many grammatical patterns that are atypical and considered incorrect by academic and purist standards. However, they persist as part of the vernacular of the Caribbean. Research often compares the three Caribbean nations, Cuba, DR and PR in this regard because all three have the same grammatical speech patterns in common. Vocabulary differs because of historical factors but each nation has its share of vocabulary that dates back to colonization.


-MP.

yeah we do, we all pretty much talk the same, main landers just say we all speak isleno or caribeno, since they cannot distinguish the 3 accents like we can due to the strong ties and similarities.

but yes i have been interested and have done some researches and observing how the anglo caribbean speakers sound in comparison to us, theres alot of similarities not just in spanish but im gonna put this vid as an example, he does sound like your average hispanic speaking English, this Dominican man speaks english like a mix between a spanish speaker and caribbean english speaker or some sorta mix of that
[video=youtube;bVCK1ACGz08]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVCK1ACGz08[/video]

^^ he kinna sounds caribbean english ^^
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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Suena terrible en inglés...

En mi opinión es un pésimo inglés.


You posted this video already in a thread you started last year and I gave my opinion there and it's the same. I don't think this person sounds Caribbean in English at all. The little English that he can speak sounds very Americanized and socio ethnic.

This was my post about that video:

http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.ph...t-in-English?p=1613786&viewfull=1#post1613786



BTW- Let's keep this thread about Dominican Spanish and Caribbean Spanish since the topics are intertwined. If you want to discuss Caribbean English spoken by Dominicans please post in the thread you already started.




-MP.
 
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Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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la capital vs. Santiago

Here is a video that presents some in country rivalry. Who speaks better? - la gente de la capital o la gente de Santiago. One guy said los santiagueros hablan mejor porque hablamos con la /i /. That gave me a good laugh because el cibaeño is considered a true dialect in Spanish one of the few and it's quite the opposite. Hablar con la /i / is not the standard in Spanish. That's like saying hablar con la /zh/ like in Uruguay and Argentina is the standard.

So who speaks better in the DR? Los de la capital, del Cibao, del sur what do you think?


[video=youtube;n7T_n83h_AU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7T_n83h_AU&sns=em[/video]


-MP.
 

Lucifer

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Jun 26, 2012
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There was a time when Dominicans in Puerto Rico were claiming to be from la capitai or capitar
 

Someone1997

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Feb 21, 2016
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Generally Dominicans speak quite fast. They use a lot of slang words and also many times use words of English descent, for example chequear.
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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I would like to add and it is quite an interesting aspect of Spanish (and not only part of Dominican speech) is diminutives and the usage. Observe the usage of diminutives in the Spanish-speaking world and you should stop and think- how fascinating!. Very unlike English, the usage and understanding the usage is special in Spanish.

Some diminutives are more common than others. As well, the usage is (very) regional. Using common ones as an example – ito/ -ita you will hear in the Spanish-speaking world as well -ico/- ica. Then common in Spain -illo/- illa which is not common in Latin America at all. Costa Ricans get their nickname los Ticos because of their frequent usage of the diminutive -ico/ ica.

As the articles state the meaning of -ito/-ita in the DR is usually to denote smallness or cariño but it does not always as we evidence in daily speech. Diminutives are common in Dominican speech but I will even extend it and say in Latin America in general to the point where they are even added to adverbs like ahorita (not in Spain) with various meanings depending on the context and country.



Here are interesting articles from a Dominican newspaper that discuss the usage of diminutives in Dominican popular speech:

http://eldia.com.do/los-diminutivos-en-el-espanol-dominicano-i/

http://eldia.com.do/los-diminutivos-en-el-espanol-dominicano-ii/

http://eldia.com.do/los-diminutivos-en-el-espanol-dominicano-y-iii/


-MP.



I stumbled across an article last night in el Nuevo Herald about the usage of diminutives in Cuban speech which I found quite interesting and accurate. If you are familiar with Cuban speech patterns you already know the usage of diminutives is frequent but what is also interesting is to compare it to Spanish spoken in other Caribbean countries for example, the Dominican Republic which is not too far away and shares a similar linguistic history. One fundamental note in Cuban speech is the common diminutive is -ico or -ica as opposed to -ito or -ita.


What is interesting is the many nuances the usage of diminutives has in Spanish. Understanding the spoken language is key and cannot always be defined in a textbook.


https://www.elnuevoherald.com/opinion-es/trasfondo/article180098836.html


-MP.
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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Here is one more article (in Spanish) that gives a broader perspective and gives perspective about the usage of diminutives in Latin America in general. It takes into account some of the common ones, the meaning and/ or nuances in different Latin American countries.


FundeuBBVA is associated with the RAE. It is a great language resource and they have a section in Diario Libre that caters to diverse questions about language.


https://www.fundeu.es/noticia/diminutivos-en-latinoamerica-chiquitos-pero-5976/


-MP.
 
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malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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a short article from DL explaining few dominican expressions:
https://www.diariolibre.com/estilos...ue-solo-entendemos-los-dominicanos-BH12153354
i was only familiar with "chivo sin ley", did not know the others.

Same, never heard of any other than " chivo sin ley ".

My new personnal favourites this year are :

" a ti te gusta lo mango bajito ", same as english, about liking low hanging fruit.
Example : we are looking to challenge people at dominoes, and i spy a particular table with a drunk and his drunk frente, and say " them ". Then my BIL will say to me above expression.
And
" eso se llama come y cálla ", literally, " it is called eat-and-shut-up "
Example : me : what is this batida you made us ?
Wife : eso se llama come y cálla
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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In my field of work you have to study language from a sociolinguistic perspective to understand a speech population. Caribbean Spanish on the whole is understudied but there is some good material to be found and documentation in blogs have value.

Dominican Spanish accounts for 3% approx. of the total Spanish-speaking population which may be why there is less research compared to bigger populations like Spain, Mexico and Colombia. The good thing is one can compare research across the Caribbean regions since there are a lot of similarities.


Anyway I came across this blog which is quite well-documented. The topic is: Does a Dominican dialect exist?

Look at the examples of speech in a raw local form and the equivalent to standard Spanish. It is a recognizable speech pattern in the DR but also other regions of the Caribbean. For example, tamo lito and tamo bien are very common but not only in the DR. It is heard in other Caribbean Spanish-speaking countries too.

Here is the link:

http://notasynoticiasoq.blogspot.com/2009/01/existe-un-dialcto-dominicano.html

Que viva el español caribeño.


-MP.
 
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