Venezuelan Spanish is a dialect of the Spanish language spoken in Venezuela. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ...

Spanish was introduced in Venezuela by the conquistadors. Most of them were from Andalusia, Galicia, Basque Country and from the Canary Islands. Perhaps the latter, has been the most fundamental influence on modern Venezuelan Spanish, to the point that Canarian and Venezuelan accents may seem indistinguishable to other Spanish speakers. Italian and Portuguese immigrants came later in the late 19th and early 20th century, their linguistic contributions, Italy by the most part, defined this dialect. Conquistadors (Spanish: []) (English: Conqueror) were Spanish soldiers, explorers and adventurers who invaded and conquered much of the Americas and Asia Pacific, bringing them under Spanish colonial rule between the 15th and 17th centuries, starting with the 1492 settlement by Christopher Columbus in what is now the Bahamas // Hernán Cort... 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. ... There are two well-known places called Galicia: Galicia, one of Spains autonomous communities. ... The Basque Country refers to a group of places inhabited by Basque people: The Basque Country (historical territory) (Euskal Herria) is the area inhabited by Basques, claimed by Basque nationalists. ... 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. ... Map of the world with countries colored according to their immigrant population as a percentage of total population: Immigration is the movement of people from one nation-state to another. ...

The Spaniards additionally brought African slaves. This is the origin of expressions such as chévere ("excellent"), which comes from Yoruba ché egberi. Other non-Romance words came from Native languages, such as guayoyo (a type of coffee) and caraota (common bean). A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Slave redirects here. ... Yoruba (native name èdè Yorùbá, the Yoruba language) is a dialect continuum of West Africa with over 22 million speakers. ... ... A cup of coffee. ... Binomial name L. “Navy Bean” redirects here. ...

Dialectal features

• Venezuelan Spanish often shortens words, for example, changing para "for" into pa. In addition, /d/ between vowels is often dropped (elision), as happens in Andalusian Spanish: helado "ice cream" becomes /eˈlao/.

• Another common feature is the aspiration of syllable-final -s, whereby adiós "goodbye" becomes [aˈðjɔh]).

• As in most American dialects, also, Venezuelan Spanish has yeísmo (a merger of /ʎ/ and /ʝ/), and seseo (traditional /θ/ merges with /s/). That is, calló "s/he became silent" and cayó "s/he fell" are homophones, and casa "house" is homophonous with caza "hunt".

• A characteristic common to the Venezuelan, Cuban, Costa Rican and Colombian dialects (also found in Aragonese Spanish) is the use of the diminutive -ico and -ica instead of the standard -ito and -ita. But this use is restricted to words with -t in the last syllable; for example, rata "rat" becomes ratica "little rat".

• The second-person singular informal pronoun is usually tú, as in most of Latin America and also in Spain. This practice is referred to as tuteo. However, in the north-west states, such as Falcón, Zulia and some parts of Trujillo, it is common to find voseo, that is, the use of vos instead of tú. This phenomenon is present in many other Latin American dialects (notably Rioplatense), but Zulian voseo is diptongado, that is, the conjugation preserves the diphthongs of the historical vos conjugation that have been monophthongized in Rioplatense (which means the Zulian forms are the same as those used in Castilian for the second person plural vosotros): instead of tú eres, tú estás, Zulian says vos sois, vos estáis (compare with Castilian plural forms vosotros sois, vosotros estáis; and with Rioplatense forms vos sos, vos estás). Another exception to the tuteo of Venezuelan Spanish is the use of the second-person singular formal pronoun usted interchangeably with tú, a practice that is unique to the states of Mérida and Tachira.^[1]

• The word vaina is used with a variety of meanings (such as "shame", "pity" and many others) and often as an interjection or a nonsensical filler.

• Venezuelan Spanish has a lot of Italianisms and Anglicisms.

In music, see elision (music). ... The Andalusian dialect (also called andaluz) of European Spanish is spoken in Andalusia (including Gibraltar). ... Yeísmo is a distinctive feature of many dialects of the Spanish language, which consists of the merger of the palatal lateral approximant phoneme (written ll) with another phoneme, usually realized as a palatal fricative or affricate. ... The palatal lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. ... The voiced palatal fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... There are a series of significant differences in the way the Spanish language is spoken in the 20 or so countries and territories where it is an official language. ... A diminutive is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Falcón State Anthem State motto: Dios y Federación (Spanish: God and Federation) Location within Venezuela Created (given current status) 1864 ¹ State capital Coro Area    â€¢% 24,800 km² 2,71   (Ranked ) Population    â€¢% 877,386 hab. ... Estado Zulia is one of the 23 states (estados) into which Venezuela is divided. ... Trujillo State Anthem State motto: none Location within Venezuela Created (given current status) 1899 State capital Trujillo Area    â€¢% 7,400 km² 0,81   (Ranked ) Population    â€¢% 691,908 hab. ... A movie poster in Buenos Aires shows usage of vos. ... Main urban centers of Rioplatense Spanish. ... In phonetics, a diphthong (also gliding vowel) (Greek δίφθογγος, diphthongos, literally with two sounds, or with two tones) is a monosyllabic vowel combination involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or phoneme. ... A monophthong (in Greek μονόφθογγος = single note) is a pure vowel sound, one whose articulation at both beginning and end is relatively fixed, and which does not glide up or down towards a new position of articulation; compare diphthong. ... Spanish () or Castilian () is an Iberian Romance language. ... Mérida State Anthem State motto: none Location within Venezuela Created (given current status) 1864 State capital Mérida Area    â€¢% 11,300 km² 1,23   (Ranked ) Population    â€¢% 819,760 hab. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

Regional variations

There are several sub-dialects within Venezuelan Spanish.

• The Caracas dialect, spoken in the capital.
• The Zulian dialect in the north-west of the country, also called maracucho or marabino, which uses voseo, like in the in part of the Lara area.
• The Lara dialect, where voseo is also used, but where the verbal declension of Old Spanish is kept (vos coméis).
• The Andean dialect, in particular the state of Táchira near the Colombian border. It is characterized by a non-aspirated pronunciation of s and use of Usted instead of tú, even within informal contexts. Another variant, in the states of Mérida and Trujillo still uses Usted instead of tu, but lacks the non-aspirated pronunciation os the s.
• The Margaritan dialect, spoken in Isla Margarita and in the north-east of continental Venezuela. The Margaritan dialect presents sometimes an interdental when pronouncing pre-vowel 's' and use of a strong 'r' instead of 'l' in most of the words.

Nickname: La Sultana del Avila (English:The Avilas Sultan) La Sucursal del paraiso Motto: Ave María Santísima, sin pecado concebida, en el primer instante de su ser natural. ... Lara may refer to: English meaning Famous Places: Lara State, a Venezuelan state. ... Planes view of the Andes, Peru. ... Puerto Cruz beach. ...

Some examples of native Venezuelanisms (slang)

• Achanta'o/Achantá = A person of slow thought or slow reasoning. Someone passive, or lacking seduction skills.
• Amapuche = A passionate demonstration of affection. A warm hug.
• Agarrado(a) = See pichirre. Selfish.
• Alborotao = To be excited or revolted.
• Arrapao = Excited (profane).
• Arrecharse = To get angry. Usually profane amongst Venezuelans.
• Arrecho = Superlative to indicate that an object or situation is considered to be very good (profane); very angry
• Arrecochinar = To gather people disorderly in a small space.
• Arrocear = To turn up at a party without being invited. Arrocero: Party Crasher.
• Bachaco = Leafcutter ant. (Alt.) A mulatto with red hair.
• Bajarse de la mula = To pay for something. To be demanded for money. To be robbed (Lit.: "to step down of the mule").
• Bala fría = Junk food. A quick snack (Lit.: "cold bullet").
• Balurdo = An awkward or ridiculous person. See also Chimbo
• Bochinche = A gathering or noisy reunion.
• Bolo(s) = A single unit of Venezuelan currency, a Venezuelan bolívar. As single units are no longer in circulation, this term is mostly used in the plural.; testicles
• Bucear = To skin dive. (Alt.) To ogle discreetly.
• Bululú = A fuss. See bochinche
• Burda = Superlative. Very much.
• Cambur = Banana. (Alt. A well remunerated public position).
• Cachapa = A sweet corn pancake.
• Cachapera = A lesbian (pejorative).
• Cacharro = Old, worn out vehicle. A piece of junk.
• Caerse a palos = To engage in heavy drinking. To get drunk.
• Calarse = To digest (or sustain) something bad.
• Carajo(a) = A spit. A dude (profane).
• Carajazo = See coñazo (profane).
• Caraotas = Black beans.
• Catire(a) = Blond. (Alt. A beer). Nickname for the sun.
• Chamo(a) = Boy/girl. With suffix -ito : a kid; also means son or daughter. Venezuelans are well known among Spanish speakers for their love and constant use of this word, which is used repeatedly in the same fashion as the American slang dude.
• Chévere = Fine, cool.
• Chimbo(a) = Of low quality. Ill made.
• Chivo = Literally Goat. (Alt. Someone at a high position in an organization).
• Choro = Thief (pejorative).
• Coñazo = To violently hit or strike (profane).
• Compinche = Partner in crime.
• Corotos/Macundales = Stuff, belongings. Trash.
• Criollo = Local, native of Venezuela.
• Epa/Épale = "Hi" or Hello (informal greeting; "What's up").
• Filo = (Lit. Edge) Hunger.
• Franela = T-shirt.
• Gafo = Dump or stupid, comes for the italian word "cafone" or "gavone" which means dumb peasant.
• Gringo = American. (Also Estadounidense)
• Guáramo = Iron will. Courage.
• Guasa = To make fun of something or someone.
• Guayabo = To be romantically disillusioned. To have the Blues.
• Guayoyo = Black coffee prepared in such fashion that is not very strong. It is commonly served after meals.
• Guevón = Asshole, stupid. (profane)
• Jalar Bola = (verb) To abuse flattering. Sweet talking, intended to get benefit from someone with selfish purposes.
• Jamón = (Lit. Ham) A nice girl. A french kiss.
• Macundales = See Corotos.
• Malandro = Thief, burglar, robber.
• Mamar = (lit. To Suck) to get as much benefit of a persons skills or knowledge in a context. Estar Mamando: to be pennyless.
• Matar un tigre = To moonlight. (Lit.: "to kill a tiger").
• Musiú = A foreigner. A white native from a non-hispanic country (it's believed to come from a bastardization of the french word Monsieur).
• Negrear = to treat someone badly, as in allusion to when black people where victims of racism. "Me negrearon" = they treated me badly.
• Nota = (Lit. Note) Something nice, pleasant. A drug trip, to be "high". Verbal form: ennotar(se)
• Pajúo = See Pendejo (pejorative).
• Paisano = from the Italian "paesano", meaning an Venezuelan or Italian (or southern European). Abbreviated as Paisa usually refers to a native of Colombia.
• Palo = (Lit. Stick) Alcoholic beverage. Example: "¡Tómate un palito, pues!" ( "have a little drink (then)!" ).
• Palo de agua = (Lit. Stick of water) Torrential downpour.
• Rumba de Palos = To be beaten up. In a sports context, whenever a team wins over another with a large score.
• Papear = To eat.
• Parcha= a homosexual man.
• Pasapalos = Snacks. Hors d'oeuvres.
• Peaje = Toll. See bajarse de la mula.
• Perico = Parakeet. Venezuelan-style scrambled eggs. Cocaine.
• Peroles = See corotos.
• Pichirre = Tightfisted, stingy, miserly.
• Pipi Frío = (Lit. "Cold Dick") Someone that has been single for a long time. Someone lacking social skills or uninteresting.
• Pollo/Polla = Chicken (Alt.) A childish, naive or inmature person.
• Queso = Cheese (Alt.) Sexual drive, Lust. Mostly applied to men.
• Quesúo = To be horny, lustful.
• Ratón = Mouse. Hung over Tengo ratón.: "I'm hung over"
• Rico(a) = Rich. An attractive person ( See bueno(a) ). Delicious, pleasurable.
• Rumba = A party.
• Santamaría = Rollup metal fence that covers the front part of a store when closed.
• Sifrino = (Noun) Yuppie. A wealthy uppish person. (Adjective) Posh, applied to people and things, such as an accent or clothes.
• Tequeño = A deep-fried flour roll filled with cheese. Very popular hors d'oeuvres. A native from Los Teques
• Tigre = second job or night job. See matar tigre
• Verga = Male sexual organ. An exclamation to convey a feeling shock, disgust or alert. In the Western part of the country, especially in Zulia State, it is a nonsensic filler as an alternative to vaina.
• Yesquero = A lighter.
• Zanahoria = Carrot (Alt.) Someone who zealously takes care of his/her own health. A vegetarian.
• Zancudo = Mosquito. Lit.: "The one that walks on stilts" as a metaphore for the insect's long legs.
• Zumba'o = Forward, crazy, nutty, careless person.

Genera Acromyrmex Atta Leafcutter ants are social insects found in warmer regions of Central and South America. ... ISO 4217 Code VEB User(s) Venezuela Inflation 16% Source The World Factbook, 2005 est. ... ... The current version of the article or section is written like a magazine article; it does not use the direct, balanced tone expected of an encyclopedia. ... The Sun (Latin: Sol) is the star at the center of the Solar System. ... The current version of the article or section is written like a magazine article; it does not use the direct, balanced tone expected of an encyclopedia. ... Ham with cloves Technically, ham is the thigh and rump of any animal that is slaughtered for meat, but the term is usually restricted to a cut of pork, the haunch of a pig or boar. ... or Periquito(Parakeet) is the spanish word for small birds of the parrots family Tasty Venezuelan dish prepared with butter sautéed diced onions, tomatoes and eggs. ... A hangover (veisalgia) describes the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. ... Los Teques is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Miranda. ... Zulia State Anthem Location within Venezuela Created (given current status) 1864 State capital Maracaibo Area 63,100 km² Population (2001 est. ... A lighter is a portable device used to create a flame. ... Diversity 41 genera Genera See text. ...

See also

• Spanish dialects and varieties

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

Notes

References

• Español venezolano, Español maracucho and Voseo in the Spanish Wikipedia.
• Alexandra Alvarez & Ximena Barros (2000). "Sistemas en conflicto: las formas de tratamiento en la ciudad de Mérida, Venezuela.". Lengua y Habla. 

External links

• (Spanish) Diccionario de Venezolanadas (Forums and dictionary, great resource on the topic!)
• (Spanish) Jergas de Habla Hispana (Includes Venezuelan Slang)