Puerto Rican Spanish

As might be expected, Puerto Rico has its own unique version of Spanish. Although Puerto Ricans can easily communicate with other Spanish speaking people throughout the World, they have some distinctive vocabulary (not all of it slang) as well as their own  accent.

For starters, Puerto Ricans commonly refer to themselves as Borinqueños or Boricuas and their homeland as Borinquen, after the word used in the indigenous Taino language. Taino contributed a number of words to Puerto Rican Spanish, among them batey (a yard area), mime (small fly), cabuya (fishing line) and nataio (brothers). Incidentally, among the English words that have come to us from Taino through Spanish (although not necessarily by way of Puerto Rico) are "hurricane"  and "barbecue." 

Taino Indian 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

United States Influences and Puerto Rican Spanglish

During the Spanish-American War of 1898, United States forces conquered Puerto Rico. The United States 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 Spanish speaking 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.

Many third and fourth generation 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 published 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.

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.

Examples of Typical Puerto Rican Vocabulary

• Achocao (a)= when someone is deep asleep, "out cold".

• Algarete= The word literally means wayward in Spanish, without a given path. It is said of a ship at sea, without a sail, having no defined course. It is used to describe something messy, crazy, out of control, disorganized.

• 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, dismay, etc.

• Ajonjolí= sesame seeds and honey, made into a candy bar

• Amapola= the red hibiscus flower

• Arranca= get with it, leave, accelerate, let's roll!

• Areyto= a Taíno dance and ceremony

• Babilla= street slang for bravery, boldness.

• 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.

• Bemba= Big lip. Someone who has big lips is referred to as "bembón" or "bembona"; an Africanism

• Bochinche= a quarrel or gossip; an Africanism. Popularly used by the famous T.V. character La Comay.

• Bodrogos= Big, 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

• Chonkear= an Anglicism from the English word "to chunk ". Means someone who wants to vomit.

• 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.

• Conuco= a small hill of where yucca grows; a Taíno word

• Coquí= 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.

• Coño!= equivalent of English expression "shit!".

• 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

• Desto= expression meaning "thing" which is used at a loss of words

• 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

• Fresa , Fresita= Spanish word for strawberry. Means someone who likes pop-oriented light music or lifestyle.

• 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 get away; escape

• Lechon= common pig (used to eat in Christmas with arroz con gandules)

• Limber= frozen treat made of juice or coconut milk. usually sold for 50 cents to a dollar per cup.

• 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

• Me cago en tu mai (pai)= one of many boricua daily driving quotes literally meaning I shit on your mom (dad).

• 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 "bitch."

• 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 popular quiosco 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.

• Playera= 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.

• Revolú= 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, usually homeless.

• Tenis= Running/walking shoes. Also spelled as 'tennis'.

• 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

• Vellón= 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

• Wikén= an Anglicism, the weekend

• ¿Y Qué?= 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.

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