Panamanian Spanish
Encyclopedia
Panamanian Spanish is geographically defined as the form of Spanish spoken in the country of Panama
, which is located in Central America
.
The variations among different speaker groups of the same language can be lexical (vocabulary), phonological (pronunciation), morphological
(word forms), or in the use of syntax
(grammar).
Historically
, Panama
and Colombia
were part of the same political entity; (Colombia, governed from the Real Audiencia of Panama during the 16th century, then part of Castilla de Oro
, with its capital in Panama, during the 17th century, and after independence from Spain, Panama voluntarly became part of the Republic of Gran Colombia along with Venezuela and Ecuador, with its capital in Bogota) from the colonial times and periods and also during most of the 19th century and until 1903, and even though there are still lexical similarities shared by the two countries (e.g. 'pelao' in both Colombia
and Panama
means kid/child), phonetically Panamanian Spanish is more closely associated with the Spanish as spoken in the coastal areas around the Caribbean
, specifically the Atlantic coast of Colombia
, Venezuela
, and Nicaragua
and in Cuba
, Puerto Rico
and the Dominican Republic
.
is the aspiration
of the /s/ sound at the end of a syllable or word, such as in the word cascada pronounced [kahˈkaða] (more like an English 'h') instead of [kasˈkaða]. This aspiration is also observed in the coastal regions of Peru and Ecuador and in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, and in Andalucia and the Canary Islands (Spain).
Another change observed in Panamanian Spanish is the substitution of a [ʃ] sound (as in the English word 'she') for words containing a 'ch' spelling, e.g. muchacho [muˈʃaʃo], among mostly the less educated speakers although it can sometimes be observed among better educated speakers. In the later case both the ch and the [ʃ] sounds can be heard in the same phrase.
¹From Carlos "Cubena" Guillermo Wilson, "El aporte cultural de la etnia negra en Panamá"http://diadelaetnia.homestead.com/cubena.html
[Note: 'laopé' = 'pelao' (boy)]
(1997): "El Lenguaje de los negros congos de Panamá"
--Alba, Orlando (1992): "El español del Caribe: unidad frente a diversidad dialectal" Revista de Filología Espaňola,72, 525-540.
--Alvarado de Ricord, Elsie: El español de Panamá; estudio fonético y fonológico. Panama, 1971.
--Giralt Latorre, Javier (1991): «Algunos préstamos en el español de Panamá». Estudios de Lingüística de la Universidad de Alicante, 7, 137-158.
--Broce, Marlene y Torres Cacoullos, Rena (2002): «'Dialectología urbana' rural: la estratificación social de (r) y (l) en Coclé, Panamá». Hispania, 85/2, 342-354.
--Quilis, Antonio y Graell Stanziola, M. (1992): «La lengua española en Panamá». Revista de Filología Española, 72/3-4, 583-638.
--Cedergren, Henrietta J. (1978): «En torno a la variación de la /S/ final de sílaba en Panamá: análisis cuantitativo», en López Morales, Humberto (ed.), Corrientes actuales en la dialectología del Caribe hispánico, Río Piedras, Universidad de Puerto Rico, 80-103.
--Cedergren, Henrietta J.; Rousseau, Pascale y Sankoff, David (1986): «La variabilidad de /r/ implosiva en el español de Panamá y los modelos de ordenación de reglas», en Núñez Cedeño, R., I. Páez Urdaneta y L. Guitart (eds.), Estudios sobre la fonología del español del Caribe, Caracas, Ediciones La Casa de Bello, 13-20.
--Graell Stanziola, M. y Quilis, Antonio (1991): «Datos sobre la lengua española en Panamá», en Hernández Alonso, C. y otros (eds.), Actas del III Congreso Internacional de 'El Español de América', 2, Valladolid, Junta de Castilla y León, 997-1005.
--Malmberg, B. 1965. Estructura silábica del español. Estudios de Fonética Hispánica, Madrid: C.S.I.C.
--Quesada Pacheco, Miguel A. 1996. El español de América Central. En Manual de dialectología hispánica. El español de América, ed. Manuel Alvar. 101-115. Barcelona: Ariel.
----
http://spanish100.net
en Wikcionario
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, which is located in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.
The variations among different speaker groups of the same language can be lexical (vocabulary), phonological (pronunciation), morphological
Morphology (linguistics)
In linguistics, morphology is the identification, analysis and description, in a language, of the structure of morphemes and other linguistic units, such as words, affixes, parts of speech, intonation/stress, or implied context...
(word forms), or in the use of syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
(grammar).
Historically
History of Panama
The History of Panama is about the Isthmus of Panama region's long history that occurred in southern Central America, from Pre-Columbian cultures, during the Spanish colonial era, through independence and the current country of Panama.-Indigenous period:...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
were part of the same political entity; (Colombia, governed from the Real Audiencia of Panama during the 16th century, then part of Castilla de Oro
Castilla de Oro
Castilla de Oro was the name given by the Spanish settlers at the beginning of the 16th century to the Central American territories from the Gulf of Urabá, near today's Colombian-Panamanian border, to the Belén River. Beyond that river, the region was known as Veragua, and was disputed by the...
, with its capital in Panama, during the 17th century, and after independence from Spain, Panama voluntarly became part of the Republic of Gran Colombia along with Venezuela and Ecuador, with its capital in Bogota) from the colonial times and periods and also during most of the 19th century and until 1903, and even though there are still lexical similarities shared by the two countries (e.g. 'pelao' in both Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
means kid/child), phonetically Panamanian Spanish is more closely associated with the Spanish as spoken in the coastal areas around the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, specifically the Atlantic coast of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
Phonology and Phonetics
The main characteristic of Caribbean SpanishCaribbean Spanish
Caribbean Spanish is the general name of the Spanish dialects spoken in the Caribbean region. It closely resembles the Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands and Andalusia....
is the aspiration
Aspiration (phonetics)
In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ...
of the /s/ sound at the end of a syllable or word, such as in the word cascada pronounced [kahˈkaða] (more like an English 'h') instead of [kasˈkaða]. This aspiration is also observed in the coastal regions of Peru and Ecuador and in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, and in Andalucia and the Canary Islands (Spain).
Another change observed in Panamanian Spanish is the substitution of a [ʃ] sound (as in the English word 'she') for words containing a 'ch' spelling, e.g. muchacho [muˈʃaʃo], among mostly the less educated speakers although it can sometimes be observed among better educated speakers. In the later case both the ch and the [ʃ] sounds can be heard in the same phrase.
Lexicon
Lexically Panamanian Spanish presents a variety of new terms introduced and being incorporated into the daily language all the time. The following quotation shows some Panamanian common expressions:
"Vecina, yo no soy vidajena, y no me gusta esa vaina ... pero te voy a contar un bochinche...
pero si me das de comer un poco de chicheme, concolón, carimañola, sancocho y mondongo....
Ese man flacuchento y ñato vestido de guayabera azul y sombrero montuno que viene allí ... Su motete ya no tiene ñame, guineo ni guandú. Lo que tiene es un pocotón de chécheres. Según la comadre fula radiobemba, el cambio en ese laopé no se debe a una macuá ..." ¹
¹From Carlos "Cubena" Guillermo Wilson, "El aporte cultural de la etnia negra en Panamá"http://diadelaetnia.homestead.com/cubena.html
[Note: 'laopé' = 'pelao' (boy)]
Further reading
http://www.personal.psu.edu/jml34/lumbalu.pdf - --John M. LipskiJohn M. Lipski
John M. Lipski is an American linguist who is most widely known for his work on Spanish and Portuguese dialectology and language variation. His research also focuses on Spanish phonology, the linguistic aspects of bilingualism and code-switching, African influences on Spanish and Portuguese, and...
(1997): "El Lenguaje de los negros congos de Panamá"
--Alba, Orlando (1992): "El español del Caribe: unidad frente a diversidad dialectal" Revista de Filología Espaňola,72, 525-540.
--Alvarado de Ricord, Elsie: El español de Panamá; estudio fonético y fonológico. Panama, 1971.
--Giralt Latorre, Javier (1991): «Algunos préstamos en el español de Panamá». Estudios de Lingüística de la Universidad de Alicante, 7, 137-158.
--Broce, Marlene y Torres Cacoullos, Rena (2002): «'Dialectología urbana' rural: la estratificación social de (r) y (l) en Coclé, Panamá». Hispania, 85/2, 342-354.
--Quilis, Antonio y Graell Stanziola, M. (1992): «La lengua española en Panamá». Revista de Filología Española, 72/3-4, 583-638.
--Cedergren, Henrietta J. (1978): «En torno a la variación de la /S/ final de sílaba en Panamá: análisis cuantitativo», en López Morales, Humberto (ed.), Corrientes actuales en la dialectología del Caribe hispánico, Río Piedras, Universidad de Puerto Rico, 80-103.
--Cedergren, Henrietta J.; Rousseau, Pascale y Sankoff, David (1986): «La variabilidad de /r/ implosiva en el español de Panamá y los modelos de ordenación de reglas», en Núñez Cedeño, R., I. Páez Urdaneta y L. Guitart (eds.), Estudios sobre la fonología del español del Caribe, Caracas, Ediciones La Casa de Bello, 13-20.
--Graell Stanziola, M. y Quilis, Antonio (1991): «Datos sobre la lengua española en Panamá», en Hernández Alonso, C. y otros (eds.), Actas del III Congreso Internacional de 'El Español de América', 2, Valladolid, Junta de Castilla y León, 997-1005.
--Malmberg, B. 1965. Estructura silábica del español. Estudios de Fonética Hispánica, Madrid: C.S.I.C.
--Quesada Pacheco, Miguel A. 1996. El español de América Central. En Manual de dialectología hispánica. El español de América, ed. Manuel Alvar. 101-115. Barcelona: Ariel.
----
http://spanish100.net
External links
en Wikcionario