| | This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.
Please help recruit one or improve this article yourself. See the talk page for details.
Please consider using {{Expert-subject}} to associate this request with a WikiProject |
This FSLN logo is an example of the voseo form used in Nicaraguan media. Central America Spanish (Spanish: Español Centroamericano) is the general name of the Spanish language dialects spoken in the Central American region. More precisely, the term refers to the Spanish language as spoken in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, as well as certain parts of Costa Rica and Guatemala. Despite the fact that Panama is geographically located in Central America, Panamanians speak a completely Caribbean-accented Spanish, more similar to that spoken in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ...
Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. ...
Countries that feature voseo. ...
This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ...
A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. ...
For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...
Variation
While most vocabulary is common, each country has its variations, for instance, for "corner store" and "soft drink": In Guatemala, they are tienda and agua (water is agua pura). In El Salvador, they are tienda and gaseosa. In Honduras, they are pulpería or in the north trucha and fresco. In Nicaragua, they are pulpería and gaseosa. In Costa Rica, they are pulpería and gaseosa although they could also be Abastecedor and Refresco or Fresco.
Phonetics and phonology In Spanish, few words end in plosives However, many such words are borrowed from English. In Central America, all such stops are usually pronounced like 'c's. The Costa Rican ice cream shop Pops, with franchises in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua is pronounced by many people as Pocs. Internet is sometimes pronounced Internec, Laptop is pronounced lactoc, and robót pronounced robóc. This is sometimes extended to native Spanish words where such stops are found at the end of a syllable. For example, Aceptar is often pronounced Acectar. Notice that such pronunciations are most common in people with low levels of schooling, as people in the middle and higher classes tend to be a bit more observant of standard pronunciation. A stop or plosive or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ...
Some other characteristics of Central American phonology include:
- /s/ at the end of a syllable or before a consonant is pronounced like [h], except in central Guatemala and in Costa Rica.
- j (/x/), is aspirated except in some areas of Costa Rica; it is soft as the /h/ in English (e.g.: Yahoo).
- Intervocalic /b/, /d/, and /g/ show no sign of reduction, and are much more pronounced than in most dialects.
- There is no confusion between /l/ and /r/, as in the Caribbean.
- /s/, /z/ and in some cases /c/ (as in cerrar) are pronounced as [s]
- /m/ at the end of a word tends to be pronounced as [n]
Grammar The most common form for the second person singular in Central America is vos. Its conjugation follows the pattern, (for “you have”) vos tenés instead of tú tienes, or (for “you sing”) vos cantás instead of tú cantas. The pronoun Usted is used when addressing older, unfamiliar or respected persons, as it is in all Spanish countries; however, in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras it is frequently used with younger persons. Some communities prefer to use Usted in most conversation, and to rarely use vos or tú at all. The pronouns tú and Usted are mainly used in writings and publications. It is also very common in Central America to use the word "tú" while keeping "vos" verb forms: tú cantás. For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...
Countries that feature voseo. ...
Lexicon The vocabulary of Central America is very different from that of Mexico, but similar in many ways to that of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. For example, Redondel or Rotonda is a Roundabout. However, there are also many words unique to Central America. For example, Chunche or Chochadas means Thing or Stuff. A roundabout is a type of road junction at which traffic enters a one-way stream around a central island. ...
See also
 Languages of Nicaragua | Official languages Spanish Caliche or Salvadoreño is a collection of slang words unique to Salvadoran Spanish. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Nicaragua. ...
| Non-official languages Miskito · Rama · Sumo · Miskito Coastal Creole · Garifuna · Rama Cay Creole Miskito is a Misumalpan language spoken by the Miskito people in northern Nicaragua, especially in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region, and in eastern Honduras. ...
Rama is one of the indigenous languages of the Chibchan family spoken by the Rama people on the island of Rama Cay and south of lake Bluefields on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. ...
Sumo (also known as Sumu) is a Misumalpan language spoken in Nicaragua and Honduras. ...
Miskito Coastal Creole is a linguistic variety spoken on Nicaragua. ...
This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...
Rama Cay Creole is a creole language spoken by some 8-900 people on the island of Rama Cay in eastern Nicaragua. ...
|
 Languages of Honduras | Official languages Spanish Image File history File links Flag_of_Honduras. ...
| Non-official languages Miskito · Jicaque · Sumo · Bay Islands Creole · Garifuna · Ch'orti · Lenca Miskito is a Misumalpan language spoken by the Miskito people in northern Nicaragua, especially in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region, and in eastern Honduras. ...
Jicaque, also known as Tol, Tolupan, and Torupan is a language currently spoken by around 300 Tolupan people in La Montaña del Flor in Honduras. ...
Sumo (also known as Sumu) is a Misumalpan language spoken in Nicaragua and Honduras. ...
Bay Islands Creole is a linguistic entity of Honduras. ...
This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...
The Chorti language (Chorti) is a Mayan language. ...
The Lenca language is an unclassified indigenous language of Mesoamerica, spoken (or formerly spoken) by the indigenous Lenca peoples in a region encompassed by western Honduras and portions of El Salvador, Central America. ...
|
 Languages of Guatemala | Official languages Spanish Image File history File links Flag_of_Guatemala. ...
| Non-official languages Achi · Akatek · Awaketek · Chuj · Garifuna · Ch'orti · Itza' · Ixil · Jakaltek · K'iche' · Kaqchikel · Mam · Mopan · Poqomam · Poqomchi' · Q'anjob'al · Q'eqchi' · Sakapultek · Sipakapense · Tektitek · Toquegua · Tz'utujil · Uspantek · Xinca · Yucatec Maya Achi is a Mayan language very closely related to Quiché (Kiche). It is spoken primarily in the department of Baja Verapaz in Guatemala Categories: | | | ...
Akateko (Acateco, Acatec, Conob) is a Mayan language sometimes referred to as Western Kanjobal (Qanjobal) as it is very closely related to that language. ...
Awakateko (Aguacateco, Aguacatec) is a Mayan language related to Ixil. ...
Chuj language is a language belonging to Kanjobalan-Chujean family of Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala. ...
This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...
The Chorti language (Chorti) is a Mayan language. ...
Itza (Itza, Petén Itzá Maya) is a Mayan language spoken only by a few elderly adults in communities to the north of Lake Itzá in Guatemala. ...
Ixil is a Mayan language. ...
The Jacaltec (or Jakalteko or Popti) are a group of Maya Indians living in the Western Guatemala highlands and adjoining part of Chiapas and southern Mexico. ...
The Kiche language (Quiché in Spanish) is a part of the Mayan language family. ...
The Kaqchikel language (in modern orthography; formerly also spelled Cakchiquel or Cakchiquiel) is an indigenous Mesoamerican language and a member of the Quichean-Mamean branch of the Mayan languages family. ...
The Mam are a Native American people of the highlands of western Guatemala. ...
The Mopan Maya language is spoken in Belize and Guatemala. ...
Poqomam is a Mayan language, closely related to poqomchÃ. It is spoken by ca. ...
Poqomchà is a Mayan language very closely related to Poqomam. ...
Qanjobal is a Mayan language of Mexico and Guatemala. ...
The Qeqchi language is spoken in Belize and Guatemala. ...
Sakapultek is a Mayan language very closely related to Quiché (Kiche). It is spoken by somewhat fewer than 40,000 people in El Quiché department and in Guatemala City. ...
Sipakapense is a Mayan language very closely related to Quiché (Kiche). It is spoken primarily in Sipacapa in the department of San Marcos in Guatemala Categories: | | | ...
The Tektiteko language (Tectiteco, Teco) is a member of the Quichean-Mamean branch of the Mayan language family. ...
Toquegua is the name of a group of people, and a language, spoken along the Atlantic coast of Guatemala from the area around the mouth of the Golfo Dulce to the mouth of the Motagua river. ...
The Tzutujil language is one of the Mayan languages, and is closely related to the Cakchiquel language; both are similar to the Quiché language of the neighbouring and more populous Quiché Maya. ...
The Uspanteko language (Uspanteco, Uspantec) is spoken in Guatemala. ...
The Xinca language is a Mesoamerican language spoken by the indigenous Xinca people from communities in the southern portion of Guatemala, near its border with El Salvador and in the mountainous region to the north. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
| |
Feeds |
Contact