Dominicans have an vitality and magnificence that’s completely past evaluate!
There are such a lot of stunning phrases that you just want in your vocabulary, phrases like aguacero (heavy rain), callao (a pebble or a dance) and ratatá (actually cool).
Studying easy methods to converse and perceive Dominican Spanish trains your ears and your tongue in a brand new dialect, and meaning you’ll be able to even check out new phrases and phrases which might be distinctive to it.
Time to get your ears acquainted with this stunning nation’s language!
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1. Private Pronouns in Dominican Spanish
In contrast to Spanish from Spain (often known as Peninsular Spanish), Dominican Spanish doesn’t use the pronoun vosotros as a second-person plural pronoun. As a substitute, it makes use of ustedes, like many different Latin American nations.
Vosotros and ustedes each consult with a gaggle of individuals, so consider it because the American slang phrase “y’all” (or only a plural “you”).
For those who’re not used to utilizing ustedes, it’s tremendous simple to study. It follows the identical conjugation rule as ellos and ellas.
For instance:
Vosotros habláis → Ustedes hablan (You all speak)
Vosotros coméis → Ustedes comen (You all eat)
Vosotros vais → Ustedes van (You all go)
2. Pronunciation Quirks in Dominican Spanish
Included on this part are phonetic sounds (in sq. brackets.) For assist saying these sounds, consult with this IPA chart.
Dropping the s
Spanish within the Caribbean is quicker and extra relaxed than normal Latin American Spanish. As with many Caribbean areas, Dominicans play it quick and free with their s sound, omitting it almost the entire time; I’d say they use this sound lower than another Spanish dialect.
This may be problematic for understanding and might create extra homophones (phrases that sound the identical however have totally different meanings) than common. S is just pronounced as [s] (feels like s) when there’s a burdened vowel within the subsequent phrase. The remainder of the time it’s silent or aspirated.
For instance, in las alas (the wings), the underlined s could be pronounced as a result of the a in daring is burdened, whereas the opposite s wouldn’t be pronounced. S inside a phrase may be deleted, e.g. isla is usually pronounced as [ila] (feels like “eyh-lah”)
Yeísmo
There’s not any distinction between the y [ʝ-j] and ll [ʎ] sounds as each are pronounced like the primary sound. This is called yeísmo.
That is fairly widespread in Spanish now, however it’s nonetheless value being conscious of. One of the best ways of getting accustomed to those sounds is to hearken to the IPA sounds by following the hyperlinks positioned beneath and spot the subtleties in pronunciation.
To assist practice your tongue to those sounds, discover that [ʎ] is produced with the tongue “sticking” to the roof of the mouth and [ʝ-j] requires a barely looser tongue. Listening to and producing this sound repetitively ought to aid you grasp it.
Yeísmo creates some homophones that you just’ll wish to be careful for, like baya (berry) and valla (fence.) Ensure you hearken to the Latin American Spanish examples on the hyperlinks and never the Spanish dialects!
Seseo
A pronunciation phenomenon often known as seseo operates in Dominican Spanish because it does in all of the Latin American Spanish varieties.
There’s no [θ] sound (“th” in English) in Dominican Spanish, solely [s] (“s” in English). Which means that s and z spellings are each pronounced as [s]. You’ll be conversant in this should you’re studying Latin American Spanish.
This once more can create homophones, e.g. between la casa (the home) and la caza (the hunt.)
The Dominican N
N inside a phrase is usually nasalized to [ŋ] (sounds just like the “ng” within the English “sing” or the Spanish Domingo (Sunday)) particularly if adopted by a vowel.
It could be not noted altogether (and the earlier vowel nasalized) if adopted by b, d or g. For instance, mango (mango) turns into [mãgo] (feels like “mahn-go”) or presumably [maŋgo] (utilizing the “ng” sound as above) relying on the speaker and the velocity of speech.
The Dominican D
The d is silent in ado, ido and eda.
For instance, casado (married) is [kasao] (feels like “cas-a-oh,”), dedo (finger/toe) is [déo] (feels like “day-oh”) and partido (recreation, competitors) is [partío] (feels like “part-i-oh”).
3. Regional Variations of Dominican Spanish
Cibao (North)
The birthplace of Merengue! That is positively someplace to go to the island. Well-known for mountains and delightful valleys, it’s an vital fertile space for rising cacao and occasional.
Right here, r and l on the ends of syllables may be pronounced as an i, e.g. correr (to run) may be [korei] (feels like “cor-ay-ey.”)
Apparently, that is regarded as an Afro-Portuguese characteristic that slaves who have been born in Portugal picked up and delivered to the world, later incorporating it into Dominican pronunciation as they realized Spanish.
L right here is pronounced as [ʎ] (that “tongue caught to the roof of your mouth” sound you practiced earlier) as in Portuguese, a refined characteristic that you possibly can simply miss should you’re not listening for it.
Ozama (South)
Recognized for its giant lake, Enriquillo, the southern area is usually arid and scorching with gorgeous coastal lagoons.
The l on the finish of syllables may be pronounced as r on this area. For instance, Miguel could also be [miɰer] (feels like “mi-guer.”) This can be a Puerto Rican characteristic that will have originated from Andalusia.
Seibo (East)
The nice plains of the Caribbean are located right here, residence to sugar plantations and savanna.
R and l sounds on the ends of phrases aren’t pronounced right here, so fuerte may be [fuɛte] (feels like “fu-e-tay.”)
Santo Domingo (Capital)
Santo Domingo is the primary settlement of Europeans within the Americas and so has a substantial amount of historical past. The colonial zone of the town is a UNESCO heritage website! It additionally has winds that create an ideal temperate local weather and a surprising metropolitan cityscape.
In Santo Domingo, the r on the finish of a syllable is often pronounced as an l.
For instance, correr (to run) may be [korel] (feels like “cor-el”). That is additionally an Andalusian characteristic of talking, though it’s much less widespread in Puerto Rican speech.
4. Grammatical Variations in Dominican Spanish
As many Dominicans converse very quickly, shortening of phrases is fairly widespread, e.g:
Speaker 1: [¿pondɛva?] (feels like “pon-dev-ah”)
Speaker 2: [vuá santo ðomiŋgo] (feels like “voo-ah san-toh do-miny-go”)
This may appear obscure and, in quite a lot of circumstances, you will have to make use of context that will help you work out what Dominicans imply, though a lot of them will decelerate and enunciate for a gringo upon request.
You may as well get your ears acquainted with the language on a program like FluentU, which makes use of genuine Spanish movies with interactive subtitles to show you the language. This program has movies from around the globe, together with the Dominican Republic. These movies embrace film trailers, interviews, commercials, present clips and different native media.
As an example, you’ll be able to hear Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra carry out, study Dominican expressions from a Dominican actor and extra.
Once you come throughout a regional variation, FluentU will mark it as such within the definition. Click on on a phrase within the subtitles to see what it means and whether or not it’s a regional phrase or slang.
It can save you the phrase as a flashcard instantly from the video and see different movies the place it seems as slang or a colloquialism. Come again to it later with FluentU’s personalised quizzes, which embrace talking questions on the iOS and Android app.
Use the phrase-shortening information beneath that will help you work out what the audio system are saying:
[pondɛva] for ¿para dónde vas? (the place are you going?)
[vuá] for Voy a (I’m going to)
Additionally distinctive to the Caribbean is the phrase: ¿Cómo tú estás? as a substitute of ¿Cómo estás tú? Use this phrase to sound extra pure and native with Dominicans.
One other factor you would possibly wish to hear out for and apply is the elongation of the final syllable of a sentence or phrase, particularly for exaggeration. This can be a very Dominican factor that you just’ll positively wish to emulate.
5. Indigenous Influences on Dominican Spanish
The indigenous language of Hispaniola was Taíno on the time of the Spanish arrival. This was massively vital for the Spanish language as many phrases for issues they encountered there have been borrowed from Taíno.
Mainly, virtually every part discovered within the Caribbean and never in Europe is given a Taíno title. Generally the that means was modified barely, as there was already a phrase in Spanish for the overarching class, however a extra particular phrase was wanted by the Spanish settlers. That’s how hurakã (storm) in Taíno turned huracán (hurricane) in Spanish.
So, what does this imply in your language studying?
Aside from being attention-grabbing, being conscious of Taíno phrases used within the Dominican Republic lets you perceive what’s being stated and reply in a extra pure means than should you use commonplace Spanish terminology, which can be understood however may mark you out as a non-native.
It’s additionally attention-grabbing to notice that lots of the phrases we use in English, like manatee, hurricane and barbecue all come from Taíno phrases! Listed below are some Dominican Taíno phrases so that you can study:
6. Anglicisms in Dominican Spanish
As with many Caribbean dialects, anglicisms, particularly model title anglicisms, are widespread. Some are positively extra apparent than others.
You’ll wish to know that anglicisms don’t at all times imply what you suppose they do based mostly on their sound. For instance, polo shé means a merchandise jersey (soccer/baseball/rugby) somewhat than a daily polo shirt.
And zafacón means any garbage bin, not the “security can” it’s an anglicism of. Anglicisms happen largely in slang somewhat than common language and the Spanish equivalents will at all times be understood.
Now, it’s time to maneuver on to our Dominican movies!
These will aid you hear, study and apply the entire above classes.
16 Dominican Slang Phrases and Phrases
For those who don’t know Dominican slang but, you’ll positively want so as to add these to your vocabulary checklist earlier than taking your journey or speaking to your Dominican associates.
Listed below are 16 of the most typical Dominican slang phrases and phrases, however for our full checklist, click on right here.
6 Movies for the Final Dominican Staycation
A few of the finest documentaries on the Dominican Republic begin off our checklist.
“Ballplayer: Pelotero”
The actual baseball story and the difficulties that face recruits from the Dominican Republic are all portrayed on this movie.
There isn’t as a lot Dominican Spanish on this one as another movies, however it’s a really attention-grabbing cultural aspect to discover, with related takeaways for any sports activities fan.
“Sugar”
One other nice movie, following a lot of the identical theme because the one above, it options some Dominican dialogue however its not intensive. A really gripping and emotional story, nicely value watching.
“The Value of Sugar”
A heartbreaking documentary on the worth paid by sugar staff all through Hispaniola’s society. The dialogue isn’t as clear as within the extra polished characteristic movies right here, as a result of the filming of this documentary is extra genuine. You would possibly wish to watch this one final. It has a transparent message of business impression and is actually compelling to observe.
“Colours of the Dominican Carnival”
If witnessing a Caribbean carnival is in your want checklist, you completely should watch this documentary. The narration is in English however there are a lot of interviews with Dominicans to assist your language abilities. The cultural factor is phenomenal and can aid you seize the spirit of the Dominican at residence with this spectacular filming.
Two nice films to coach your Dominican ear are nonetheless coming at you.
“Trópico de sangre” (Tropic of Blood)
An attractive movie illuminating the sunshine and the darkish of Trujillo’s regime within the Dominican Republic. The main girl, Michelle Rodriguez, is Dominican by beginning and far of the language is helpful for studying Dominican. This true story is poignant of Dominican’s painful previous.
“La hija pure” (The Love Little one)
A narrative of a teen seeking her father, when she finds him she should come to phrases with what she finds and the character of her existence. Set within the Dominican countryside with many cultural anecdotes and nice dialogue, it provides perception to Dominican life.
Time to apply, seize an esquimalito (popsicle) and get watching some Dominican tradition!
Obtain:
This weblog put up is on the market as a handy and transportable PDF that you just
can take wherever.
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