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Puerto Rican Spanish (español puertorriqueño) is a Spanish dialect spoken in Puerto Rico and by millions of people of Puerto Rican descent living in the United States of America and elsewhere.^[1] It belongs to the group of Caribbean Spanish dialects. Image File history File links Circle-question. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. ... Languages Spanish, English Religions Roman Catholic, Protestantism An entry was temporarily removed here. ... Caribbean Spanish (español caribeño) is the general name of the Spanish language dialects spoken in the Caribbean region. ...

Taino influence

When the Spanish settlers colonized Puerto Rico in the early 16th century, many thousands of Taíno people lived on the island. Taíno words like hamaca (meaning “hammock”) and hurakán (meaning "hurricane") and tobacco came into general Spanish as the two cultures blended. Puerto Ricans still use many Taíno words that are not part of the international Spanish lexicon. The Taino influence in Puerto Rican Spanish is most evident in geographical names, such as Mayagüez, Guaynabo, Humacao or Jayuya. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Reconstruction of a Taíno village in Cuba The Taíno are pre-Columbian indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and some of the Lesser Antilles. ... Mayagüez (pronounced Mah-yah-goo-ehz) is the third largest city of Puerto Rico. ... Guaynabo (pronounced as IPA: ; also known as Guaynabo City or GC) is a municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas; south of Cataño; east of Bayamón; and west of San Juan. ... Humacao is a quiet little town in Eastern Puerto Rico named after the Taino Cacique Jumacao. ... Jayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico named after the Taino Cacique Hayuya. ...

African influence

The first African slaves were brought to the island in the 16th century. Although 31 different African tribes have been recorded in Puerto Rico, it is the Kongo from Central Africa that is considered to have impacted Puerto Rican Spanish the most. A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Kongo or Kikongo is the Bantu language spoken by the Bakongo people living in the tropical forests of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo and Angola. ...

Spanish and European influences

Since most of the original settlers of Puerto Rico between the 15th and 18th Centuries came from Andalusia, the basis for most of Puerto Rican Spanish is Andalusian Spanish (particularly that of Seville). For example the endings -ado, -ido, -edo often drop intervocalic /d/ in both Seville and San Juan: hablado > hablao, vendido > vendío, dedo > deo (intervocalic /d/ dropping is quite widespread in coastal American dialects). Seville Spanish is also the source of the merger of phonemes /s/ (coSer) and /θ/ (coCer) that are both pronounced /s/ in much of Andalusia and generally in all Latin America dialects. This merger is called 'seseo' and makes pairs like cocer/coser, abrazar/abrasar, has/haz, vez/ves homophonous. Another Andalusian trait is the tendency to weaken postvocalic consonants, particularly /-s/: 'los dos > lo do, 'buscar' > buhcá(l). Pronouncing "l" instead of "r" is also a trait of Puerto Rican Spanish that has its origin in southern Spain. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Motto: Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad (Andalusia by herself, for Spain, and for humankind) Capital Seville Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 2nd  87,268 km²  17. ... The Andalusian dialect (also called andaluz) of European Spanish is spoken in Andalusia (including Gibraltar). ... NO8DO (I was not abandoned) Location Coordinates : ( ) Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Sevilla (Spanish) Spanish name Sevilla Founded 8th-9th century BC Postal code 41001-41080 Website http://www. ... NO8DO (I was not abandoned) Location Coordinates : ( ) Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Sevilla (Spanish) Spanish name Sevilla Founded 8th-9th century BC Postal code 41001-41080 Website http://www. ... Nickname: Location of San Juan within the island of Puerto Rico Coordinates: Country United States Territory Puerto Rico Founded 1508/1521 Area  - City 76. ...

Canarian Spanish (from the Canary Islands off the coast of Western Sahara in Africa) also made a contribution to Puerto Rican Spanish as many Canarios came in hopes of establishing a better life in the Americas. Most Puerto Rican immigration in the early 19th century involved Canary Islands' natives, who, like Puerto Ricans, had inherited most of their linguistic traits from Andalusia. Canarian influence is most present in the language of those Puerto Ricans who live in the central mountain region, who blended it with the remnant vocabulary of the Taíno. Canarian and Caribbean dialects share a similar intonation which, in general terms, means that stressed vowels are usually quite long. Puerto Rican and Canarian Spanish are strikingly similar. When visiting Tenerife or Las Palmas, Puerto Ricans are usually taken at first hearing for fellow-Canarians from a distant part of the Canary archipelago. The Canarian dialect (Spanish: dialecto canario or habla canaria) is a Spanish dialect spoken in the Canary Islands and in some parts of the southern United States by Isleño communities that emigrated to the Americas as early as the 18th century. ... Anthem: Arrorró Capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 13th  7,447 km²  1. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Later in the 19th century other Spanish immigrants from Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Asturias and Galicia plus other European settlers -- mostly from France, Corsica, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and even some overseas Chinese -- settled in Puerto Rico. Words from these regions and countries joined the linguistic stew. Some people think that sound changes like velar /rr/ > [x], common in some parts of Puerto Rico, could be the result of these migratory waves, especially under the influence of French settlers. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anthem: Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan,Spanish and Aranese. ... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official language(s) Spanish and Catalan Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4,992 km²  1. ... Anthem: Asturias, patria querida Capital Oviedo Official language(s) Spanish; Asturian has special status Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th  10,604 km²  2. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... “Corsican” redirects here. ... This article is about the country. ...

United States Influences and Puerto Rican Spanglish

During the Spanish-American War of 1898, United States forces conquered Puerto Rico. The U.S. Army and the early colonial administration tried to impose the English language on island residents. Between 1902 and 1948, the main language of instruction in public schools (used for all subjects except Spanish-language courses) was English, to such an extent that many neighboring Hispanophone countries considered Spanish to have been altogether forgotten in Puerto Rico (which did not happen). Consequently, many American English words are now found in Puerto Rican vocabularies. Although English has had an on-again, off-again status as a second official language of the Island, depending on which way the political winds are blowing from La Fortaleza (the governor's palace), the majority of Puerto Ricans today do not speak English at home. Spanish "remains" the mother tongue of Puerto Ricans,regardless of their political views. Combatants United States Republic of Cuba Philippine Republic Spain Commanders Nelson A. Miles William R. Shafter George Dewey Máximo Gómez Emilio Aguinaldo Patricio Montojo Pascual Cervera Arsenio Linares General Ramón Blanco Casualties 3,289 U.S. dead (432 from combat); considerably higher although undetermined Cuban and Filipino... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...  Countries where Spanish has official status. ... For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ...

Many third and fourth generation of Puerto Ricans who live in the United States borrow English words or phrases in mid-sentence in a phenomenon called "code-switching", more commonly characterized as "Spanglish". Puerto Rican writer Giannina Braschi publishes the first Spanglish novel, Yo-Yo Boing!, in 1998, a book that represents the "code-switching" linguistic experience of Latino immigrants in the United States. Code-switching is a term in linguistics referring to alternation between one or more languages, dialects, or language registers in the course of discourse between people who have more than one language in common. ... It has been suggested that Hispanicisms_in_English be merged into this article or section. ... Code-switching is a term in linguistics referring to alternation between one or more languages, dialects, or language registers in the course of discourse between people who have more than one language in common. ...

Puerto Rico has representation in the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española) and has its own national academy along with all the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America. The Real Academia Española (Spanish for Royal Spanish Academy, RAE) is the institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

Examples of typical Puerto Rican vocabulary

• Ay, Bendito= an oft-heard classic expression meaning "dear lord!","oh dear","that's too bad, what a shame" "that's the way things go" etc. An all-purpose phrase that can express pity, sarcasm, dimay, etc.
• AJONJOLÍ= sesame seeds and honey, made into a candy bar
• AMAPOLA= the red hibiscus flower
• ARRANCA PA'LANTE= get with it, start the engine, let's roll!
• AREYTO= a Taíno dance and ceremony
• BABILLA= street slang for bravery, boldness.
• BACHATA= a boisterous party or disorderly activity; an Africanism
• BATEY= the front yard of the compound, but with packed earth, not grass; a Taíno word. Originally it referred to a sport played by the tainos, not unlike soccer, which was played on such a ground.
• BOCHINCHE= a quarrel or gossip; an Africanism. Popularly used by the famous T.V. character La Comay.
• BODROGOS= Ugly or worn out shoes.
• BORICUA= a Puerto Rican, regardless of gender; derived from BORIKEN, the Taíno name for the Island
• BRISCA= the Spanish card game (Like Black Jack) from Naipe Briscia. Rules of Brisca
• BURUNDANGA= a big mixed-up dish of different things; an Africanism
• CACIQUE= the Taíno word for the chief of the tribe or clan
• CACO= A juvenile delinquent or a cheap hoodlum. Commonly used, almost pejoratively, towards fans or musicians of reggaeton music. It is similar to the British English word, chav. Also commonly spelled as "kako".
• CACULO= A type of big brown or black beetle
• CANGRIMANES= the Big Shots, the big talkers, the blow hards, derived from the English "congressman". It is the origin of the modern slang word cangri commonly used by reggaeton artists and fans, which is roughly equivalent to the American hip-hop slang word "tight"(i.e. excellent, of high quality).
• CAPICÚ= from the word Capicúa, a palindrome: a killer final move in a domino game, where the last bone played could fit on either end of the layout; if not once-in-a-lifetime, it's close. Rules of Puerto Rican Dominoes
• CASABE= a thin, cracker-like hardtack Taíno bread made from yucca roots
• CEMI= stone idols carved by the Taínos
• CHAVO= a penny or money in general; comes from octavo the 8th part of a Spanish real coin
• CHEQUERÉ= a percussion instrument, made of a large gourd surrounded by a network of beads, that is shaken to produce a rattly rhythm
• CHÉVERE= excellent! said to be a Yoruba word originally
• CHINA= a sweet orange, called naranja in other Spanish-speaking countries
• COLMADOS= country stores, the corner store, usually small mom and pop type businesses. They are often used in diminutive form, colmaditos.
• COMAI= a contraction of comadre, godmother. A close woman friend.
• COMPAI= a contraction of compadre, godfather. A very close male friend.
• CONCUCO= a small hill of where yucca grows; a Taíno word
• COQUI= a small light brown tree frog, about the size of a nickel, native to the Island. Their loud bird-like two-note singing fills the tropical night air, and their songs fill the Puerto Rican heart with homesickness.
• CUATRO= a typical stringed instrument, smaller than a guitar, and larger than a mandolin, with five sets of doubled strings. Essential for traditional Puerto Rican Christmas music.
• CUCUBANO= firefly; a Taíno word
• DUJO= the stone stool, the throne of the Taíno caciques
• ESPARES= spark plugs, from English. (compare "bujías" in Spanish elsewhere)
• FICHA= in south and central areas, the U.S. 5 cents coin
• FOTUTO= a conch shell trumpet of the Taínos, also used in slavery times. In modern times it is used to refer to a megaphone
• FUFÚ= a juju or spell; an Africanism
• GANDINGA= a stew with pork tripe, kidneys, liver; an Africanism
• GOMAS= Tires, as in those used by a vehicle. It literally means rubbers.
• GUAGUA= a large passenger bus, a van or a light truck(i.e. a pick-up truck or an SUV), a Guanche word, also used in the Canary Islands. Basically, almost any large multi-passenger motor vehicle can be called a "guagua".
• GUARAGUAO= a large hawk seen in the mountains; a Taíno word
• GUINEO= a sweet banana, so named because they came from Africa
• GÜIRO= a traditional Caribbean rhythm instrument, made of a gourd with striations cut into its hard skin, scratched with long metal tines called puas set into a small wooden handle
• JANGUEAR= from English slang meaning to "hang out"
• JÍBARO= country folk
• JUEYES= sea crabs
• JUYILANGA= to getaway; escape
• LECHON= common pig (used to eat in Christmas with arroz con gandules)
• LECHON= very very old extremely big car (ex. old Chevrolet Impala, or older Ford LTD) with very damaged body parts
• MAHONES= Jeans. This is the plural form. The singular form is "mahón" which is used to mean denim.
• MAVÍ= semi-fermented sweet tea made from a tropical tree bark, like home-made root beer on steroids
• MACETA= a cheapskate, skinflint
• MALANGA= a tropical root
• NA'MA'= No more, that's all (nada más )
• PA'CA= over here (para aca)
• PA'LLA= over there (para alla)
• PALO= a drink of rum, a snort; can also mean a tree or a whack with a stick
• PANA= your close friend, your buddy; from breadfruit (panapén ) or maybe it's from English "partner" or "podnah" as pronounced in Florida and Louisiana
• PAVA= the distinctive palm straw hat used by JIBAROS and sugarcane workers in the early 20th century; now a symbol of the PPD Popular Party
• PEGAO= the rice that sticks to the very bottom of the cauldron and gets crunchy; considered the best part by many boricuas
• PELAO= flat, stone broke
• PERRA= a penny, 1 cent, derived from the Spanish "Perra", a mid-19th century 5-peseta coin (similar in color and size to an American penny) that featured the (poorly sketched) profile of a lion, which reminded Spaniards of a dog. However, this can also be a severely insulting term equivalent of the English word b***.
• PESETA= a quarter, 25 cents, which is similar in size and color to a Spanish peseta coin of the late 19th century.
• PESO= a dollar
• PINCHOS= literally, "thorns" a popularquiosco snack of pieces of meat, shish kebab style, cooked with a sweet barbecue sauce over natural wood charcoal. The meat is interspersed with chunks of cooked plátano.
• PLAYERO= a sleeveless T-shirt, popular at the beach (playa ). It's also the name given to the mullet hairstyle.
• PON= a ride/lift (usually by car). Example: "¿me das pon?" ("would you give me a ride?").
• PUBLICO= a van which drives a set route between the main plazas of towns, taking passengers for a set fee; reasonable transportation (but slow.)
• QUORA or CUORA= 25 cents U.S. money (Called Quarter Dollar): however, this is hardly used anymore, and is more commonly seen as how some Puerto Ricans mispronounce "quarter" when speaking English.
• QUESITO= a pastry with cream cheese inside a flakey crispy crust with sugar frosting, syrup or honey on it. Literally translates as "little cheese"
• QUIOSCO= the popular kiosk or roadside stand selling all manner of fruits, snacks and frituras. Also refers to a concession stand such as those seen in carnivals or parks.
• REVOLU= A mess. Comes from the Spanish revolcar which means to scramble or to disarrange.
• SENCILLO= a dime, ten cents, it also means easy, like for example "El examen estaba sencillo." (The test was easy)
• TECA= from the Cuban slang word for heroin, "manteca" (lard)
• TECATO(A)= drug addict
• TEMPORAL= a hurricane
• TUMBAO= that highly desirable African sexiness, the impossible to describe "It" factor
• VACILÓN= hanging out, chillin'. it also means a noisy racket
• VAGUADA= a spell of rainy weather when a cold air mass from the continent comes down into the Caribbean basin on its way to Africa
• VELLON= a dime, 10 cents (although in some areas vellón is a nickel, math books established the vellón as the dime)
• VELLONERA= a jukebox, from the old days when they operated on nickels
• WEPA= yo, hey, go for it, yeah, cool
• WIKEN= an Anglicism, the weekend
• ¿Y QUE?= roughly the equivalent of "So what!" in English
• Y TU ABUELA…= literally, "And your grandmother?" but not as aggressive as "Yo'Mama" in present-day English. Closer to "Who's Your Daddy?" meaning don't forget where you came from. Comes from a famous Negroide poem Y TU AGÜELA AONDE EJTA where somebody hid their grandmother because she looks too African.
• ZAFACÓN= trash can; the theory that it comes from the English words "safety can," supposedly an old military expression, is unsupported by fact

Artist illustration of a batey complex. ... La Comay is a famous puppet doll featured in Puerto Rican television that is managed by Antulio Santarrosa Bonilla, also known as Kobbo Santarrosa, a puppeteer, magician, ventriloquist and promoter born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. ... Reggaeton (also spelled Reggaetón, and known as Reguetón and Reggaetón in Spanish) is a form of urban music which became popular with Latin American (or Latino) youth during the early 1990s and spread over the course of 10 years to North American, European, Asian, and Australian audiences. ... Look up chav, charva in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Beetles are the most diverse group of insects. ... Look up Palindrome in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A small business may be defined as a business with a small number of employees. ... Species See text Coquí is the common name for several species of small frogs native to the archipelago of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, onomatopoeically named for the loud sound (sometimes reaching as high as 100 dB) the males make at night. ... This article or section should include material from Spark gap A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed aerosol gasoline by means of an electric spark. ... A megaphone, with a three-inch lighter to scale. ... Afro-Asiatic - Berber - Guanche Guanche was a language spoken on the Canary Islands up to the 16th century. ... Anthem: Arrorró Capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 13th  7,447 km²  1. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The peseta is the former currency of Spain and, (along with the French Franc), of Andorra. ... For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation). ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shish kebab (şişkebabı; also pronounced Kabab or kabob) means skewer of meat in Persian. ... A barbecue in a public park in Australia A barbecue on a trailer at a block party in Kansas City Pans on the top shelf hold hamburgers and hot dogs that were grilled earlier when the coals were hot. ... A typical mullet Bens Mullet A mullet is a haircut that is short in the front, on the top, and on the sides, but long in the back. ... For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... This article is about the fat. ...

See also

• Spanish dialects and varieties

Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

Notes

External links

• Real Academia Española de Puerto Rico