Colombian Spanish (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
: ''español colombiano'') is a grouping of the varieties of Spanish spoken in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. The term is of more geographical than linguistic relevance, since the dialects spoken in the various regions of Colombia are quite diverse. The speech of the northern coastal area tends to exhibit phonological innovations typical of
Caribbean Spanish
*
Caribbean Spanish ( es, español caribeño, ) is the general name of the Spanish dialects spoken in the Caribbean region. The Spanish language was introduced to the Caribbean in 1492 with the voyages of Christopher Columbus. It resembles the S ...
, while highland varieties have been historically more conservative. The
Caro and Cuervo Institute
The Caro and Cuervo Institute (Spanish: ''Instituto Caro y Cuervo'') is an educative centre specialising in Spanish literature, philology and linguistics, with a focus on research and promotion of reading in Colombia. The institute produces editio ...
in
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
is the main institution in Colombia to promote the scholarly study of the language and literature of both Colombia and the rest of Spanish America. The educated speech of Bogotá, a generally conservative variety of Spanish, has high popular prestige among Spanish-speakers throughout the Americas.
The
Colombian Academy of Language (Academia Colombiana de la Lengua) is the oldest Spanish language academy after Spain's
Royal Spanish Academy
The Royal Spanish Academy ( es, Real Academia Española, generally abbreviated as RAE) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with ...
; it was founded in 1871.
Although it is subject to debate by academics, some critics argue that ''El desierto prodigioso y prodigio del desierto'', written in the
New Kingdom of Granada
The New Kingdom of Granada ( es, Nuevo Reino de Granada), or Kingdom of the New Granada, was the name given to a group of 16th-century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed by the president of the Royal Audience of Santa ...
during the 1600s by Pedro de Solís y Valenzuela, is the first modern novel of the Spanish America.
Phonology
*The phoneme is realized as a glottal "in all regions
f Colombia (as in southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, the Spanish-speaking islands of the Caribbean, the Canary Islands, and southern Spain—as well as occasionally in Ecuador, Chile, Peru, and Northwest Argentina). A notable exception is the
Pastuso Spanish of
Nariño Department, where the phoneme is realized as velar .
* As in most other American dialects, most of Colombian Spanish has ''
yeísmo
''Yeísmo'' (; literally "Y-ism") is a distinctive feature of certain dialects of the Spanish language, characterized by the loss of the traditional palatal lateral approximant phoneme (written ) and its merger into the phoneme (written ), u ...
'' (the merger of into ). The exception is the traditional speech of
Santander
Santander may refer to:
Places
* Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain
* Santander Department, a department of Colombia
* Santander State, former state of Colombia
* Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
and around
Pasto
Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had appr ...
(inland
Nariño), where can still be heard. Until the 20th century, most Andean Colombian dialects maintained , including Bogotá (now, only some older speakers retain the traditional distinction). In the southern parts of
Antioquia and
Norte de Santander Department
North Santander (Spanish: Norte de Santander) () is a departments of Colombia, department of Northeastern Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the country's major cities.
North Santan ...
s, represents instead, which still contrasts with the represented by . This type of distinction also occurs in the
Andean
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the List of mountain ranges#Mountain ranges by length, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range i ...
regions of Ecuador.
* As in most of the Americas, the Canary Islands and most of Andalusia, Colombia has ''
seseo
In Spanish dialectology, the realization of coronal fricatives is one of the most prominent features distinguishing various dialect regions. The main three realizations are the phonemic distinction between and ('), the presence of only alveo ...
'' (the lack of distinction between and ), making ''cocer''/''coser'' or ''abrazar''/''abrasar'' homophones. Though ''seseo'' is general in Colombia and is usually lamino-alveolar , an apico-alveolar, Castilian-style /s/, , made with the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, is current in many Andean regions, especially in
Antioquia Department
)
, anthem = Himno de Antioquia
, image_map = Antioquia in Colombia (mainland).svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Antioquia shown in red
, image_ma ...
(
Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
).
That trait (unique in the Americas) is to be associated with a large number of northern Spanish settlers in Andean Colombia.
*The
voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...
d consonants , , and are pronounced as
stop consonants
In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or simply a stop, is a pulmonic consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases.
The occlusion may be made with the tongue tip or blade (, ), tongue body (, ), lips ...
after and sometimes before any consonant, rather than the
fricative
A fricative is a consonant produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. These may be the lower lip against the upper teeth, in the case of ; the back of the tongue against the soft palate in t ...
or
approximant
Approximants are speech sounds that involve the articulators approaching each other but not narrowly enough nor with enough articulatory precision to create turbulent airflow. Therefore, approximants fall between fricatives, which do produce a ...
that is characteristic of most other dialects: ''pardo'' , ''barba'' , ''algo'' , ''peligro'' , ''desde'' (dialectally or , rather than the , , , , (dial. , or ) of most other dialects. A notable exception is
Nariño Department and most
''Costeño'' speech (Atlantic coastal dialects), which feature the soft, fricative realizations that are common in other dialects.
* In contrast, intervocalic , , and are quite weak, and sometimes they may even be elided. For example, may be pronounced without the .
* In some parts of
Cundinamarca and
Boyacá, the voiceless stops , , and can be
aspirated.
* Some speakers from Boyacá may
debuccalize and or pronounce them as
aspirated fricative
A fricative is a consonant produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. These may be the lower lip against the upper teeth, in the case of ; the back of the tongue against the soft palate in t ...
s.
Vowels
As most other Spanish dialects, standard Colombian Spanish has five vowels: two high vowels (), two mid vowels () and one open vowel (). Colombian Spanish, like most other Spanish varieties, tends to resolve vowels in
hiatus
Hiatus may refer to:
*Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure
*Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy
*''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species ''Hiatus fulvipes''
*Globa ...
as
diphthong
A diphthong ( ; , ), also known as a gliding vowel, is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: that is, the tongue (and/or other parts of the speech o ...
s. There is regional differentiation as, in formal speech,
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
speakers are more likely to diphthongize than those from inland areas. However, there is no difference in informal speech.
Personal pronouns
*Much of the population in Colombia, especially in Bogotá, is known for using ''usted'' (the second-person singular pronoun considered
formal in most varieties of Spanish) between friends, family members, and others whose relationship would indicate the use of ''tú'' or ''vos'' in most other dialects.
*Characteristic regional usages of pronouns include ''
voseo
In Spanish grammar, () is the use of as a second-person singular pronoun, along with its associated verbal forms, in certain regions where the language is spoken. In those regions it replaces , i.e. the use of the pronoun and its verbal for ...
'' (using ''vos'', the familiar singular "you," rather than the ''tú'' of other dialects) in the
Paisa Region
A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including part of the West and Central ''cordilleras'' of the Andes in Colombia. The Paisa region is formed by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío. ...
and the
Valle del Cauca Department and using of
''su merced'' (literally "your grace") in
Cundinamarca and
Boyacá Departments. Voseo is nonstandard and is prohibited in schools, and its use is decreasing and occurs in informal conversations. In the Eastern Highlands, such as in Bogotá, ''voseo'' was common until the 19th century, when it began to decline.
*The second-person plural pronoun ''vosotros'' and its corresponding verb forms (-''áis''/-''éis''), which are common in Spain, are, as in the rest of the Americas, considered
archaic and so are restricted to ecclesiastical language.
*There are marked differences in the use of subject personal pronouns (overt vs. null subjects) between the highlands and coast. The highland varieties have overall pronominal rates of approximately 22-26%. The coastal varieties have higher pronominal rates. For instance, the overall pronominal rate in Barranquilla is 34.2%.
Diminutives
*In Colombian Spanish, the diminutive forms ''-ico'', ''-ica'', rather than the more conventional ''-ito'', ''-ita'', are often used in words whose stem ends with "t": ''gato'' ("cat") → ''gatico'' ("kitty"). That is often seen in
Cuban
Cuban may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean
* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent
** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof
* Cuban citizen, a perso ...
,
Venezuelan
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, and
Costa Rican
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
Spanish as well.
*The diminutive form can be applied not only to
nouns
A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for:
* Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...
, as above, but also to
adjectives
In linguistics, an adjective (abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the mai ...
, to
verbs
A verb () is a word (part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descrip ...
. In their
gerundive
In Latin grammar, a gerundive () is a verb form that functions as a verbal adjective.
In Classical Latin, the gerundive is distinct in form and function from the gerund and the present active participle. In Late Latin, the differences were large ...
form, for example, ''corriendo'' ("running") becomes ''corriendito'' ("scurrying"). In
adverb An adverb is a word or an expression that generally modifies a verb, adjective, another adverb, determiner, clause, preposition, or sentence. Adverbs typically express manner, place, time, frequency, degree, level of certainty, etc., answering ...
s, for example, ''ahora'' ("now") becomes ''ahorita'' ("later"). Even in
preposition
Prepositions and postpositions, together called adpositions (or broadly, in traditional grammar, simply prepositions), are a class of words used to express spatial or temporal relations (''in'', ''under'', ''towards'', ''before'') or mark various ...
s, ''junto a'' ("next to") becomes ''juntico a'' ("right next to").
*Redundant diminutives are used in which the diminutive ending is applied to both the noun and the adjective in the same phrase: ''el chocolate caliente'' ("the hot cocoa") becomes ''el chocolatico calientico'' ("the nice little cup of hot chocolate").
*The emphatic diminutives are used in which two diminutive endings are applied to the same word to emphasize the sentence. For example, with ''ahora'' ("now"), ''Váyase ahora mismo'' ("Get out right now") becomes ''Váyase ahoritica mismo'' ("Get the heck out right now!"). Also, with ''bueno'' ("good"), ''El carro está bueno'' ("The car is in good condition") becomes ''El carro está buenecitico'' ("The car is in tip-top condition").
Common expressions
*Paradoxically, in intrafamily speech, it is common for husband and wife to address each other as ''mijo'' and ''mija'' (from ''mi hijo'' "my son" and ''mi hija'' "my daughter"), and sons and daughters are lovingly called ''papito'' ("daddy") and ''mamita'' ("mommy").
*A common greeting in Colombia is ''¿Quiubo?'' (sometimes written as ''qui'iubo'' or ''kiubo''), a contraction of the older, still-used greeting ''¿Qué Hubo?''. That phrase, used by younger generations, is usually contracted to ''¿Qu'iubo?'' (sometimes written as ''¿Kiubo?''). The phrase uses the
preterite
The preterite or preterit (; abbreviated or ) is a grammatical tense or verb form serving to denote events that took place or were completed in the past; in some languages, such as Spanish, French, and English, it is equivalent to the simple pas ...
form of the verb ''haber'', whose present-tense form, ''hay'', means "there is" or "there are." Thus, ''¿Qué Hubo'' translates literally to "what was there?" or "what has there been?" It is used like "what's up?" in English. It originated in the Paisa dialect but has spread throughout Colombia, and it is considered throughout Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world to be a very stereotypical of Colombia.
Slang words
Slang speech is frequent in popular culture. In the Paisa Region and Medellín, the local slang is named "Parlache." Many slang expressions have spread outside their original areas and are now commonly understood throughout the country.
Many of the words have been popularized by the Colombian media, such as Alonso Salazar's book, ''No nacimos pa' semilla'',
Victor Gaviria
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
's movie ''
Rodrigo D: No Future'', or
Andrés López Forero's monologue ''La pelota de letras'' ("The Lettered Ball") as well as many other cultural expressions, including
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
s, magazines, news coverage, jokes, etc..
Some slang terms, with their literal translations and meanings, include the following:
![TOCHEs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/TOCHEs.JPG)
*''abrirse'' ("to split up"): to leave.
*''aporrear'': to accidentally fall.
*''ave María pue'': ("well, Hail Mary"): Used to show surprise, especially in the paisa region.
*''bacán'', ''bacano'', ''bacana'': Relative to parties god Bacchus, someone or something cool, kind, friendly.
*''barra'' ("
bar">oldbar"): one thousand Colombian pesos.
*''berraco'' ("boar"): (1) difficult; (2) an exceptionally capable person; (3) to be angry.
*''brutal'': extremely cool, really awesome (only for things). ''¡Esa película fue brutal!''—That movie was ''so'' cool!
*''caliente'' ("hot"): dangerous.
*''camello'' ("camel"): a job. Hard work. ''¡Eso fue un camello!'' - That was hard work.
*''cantaleta'': a telling off or nagging.
*''catorce'' ("fourteen"): a favor.
*''charlar'': to chat, sometimes to gossip or joke.
*''charro'': funny in an amusing manner. ''¡Esa pelicula fue muy charra!'' - That movie was very ''funny''.
*''chévere'':
cool
Cool commonly refers to:
* Cool, a moderately low temperature
* Cool (aesthetic), an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, and style
Cool or COOL may also refer to:
Economics
* Country of origin labelling
* mCOOL - US consumer legislation to enforc ...
, admirable.
*''chicanear'': to boast, to show off.
*''chimba'':
cool
Cool commonly refers to:
* Cool, a moderately low temperature
* Cool (aesthetic), an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, and style
Cool or COOL may also refer to:
Economics
* Country of origin labelling
* mCOOL - US consumer legislation to enforc ...
''¡Que chimba parce!'' - ''How cool man'' especially in the paisa region.
*''chino'': (from the Chibcha word for child"): child.
*''cojo'' ("lame, wobbly"): weak or lacking sense.
*''comerse a alguien'' ("to eat somebody"): to have sex.
*''dar papaya'' ("to give papaya"): to expose yourself to unnecessary risk.
*''farra'': Party.
*''filo'' ("sharp"):
hunger
In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...
.
*''fresco'' ("fresh"): "Be cool!"
*''golfa'': a
promiscuous woman
Promiscuity tends to be frowned upon by many societies that expect most members to have committed, long-term relationships.
Among women, as well as men, inclination for sex outside committed relationships is correlated with a high libido, but evo ...
.
*''gonorriento'': worst of the worst person (considered low-class).
*''guayabo'': a hangover (''resaca'' in other parts of Latin America). ''Ay, estoy enguayabado. Dame un cafecito, porfa.'' - "Oh, I'm hungover. Give me some coffee please."
*''grilla'': ("cricket") A prostitute or escort, so called for the way the call out to men on the street (in
Antioquia), in
Valle del Cauca: a low-class person
*''jeta'': mouth, in a vulgar term.
*''levantar'': (1) to pick up a woman or a man (example: ''Me levanté una vieja anoche'' — "I picked up a girl last night"); (2) to
beat
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ( ...
someone up.
*''ligar'' ("to tie"): to give money, to bribe (in
Antioquia), in
Valle del Cauca: to woo someone
*''llave'' ("
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
"): friend (considered low-class).
*''lucas'': with same usage of the word ''barra'' (considered low-class).
*''mamar'': to
suck off. Also, to annoy, irritate. ''Estoy mamado de esto.'' "I'm tired of this situation."
*''mañe'': trashy, lacking class.
*''mariconadas'': joking around (''Deje las mariconadas'' - "Stop joking around").
*''marica'' ("faggot"): a term of endearment used among friends. Depending on the tone of voice, it can be understood as an insult. ''Maricón'' is a harsher, less-friendly variant.
*''mierda'' ("shit"): fecal matter.
*''mono(a) ("monkey")'': a person with blonde hair or/and light skin or/and light eyes.
*''mostro'': friend (considered low-class).
*''onces'' ("elevenses"):
merienda
Merienda is a light meal in southern Europe, particularly Spain (merenda in Galician, berenar in Catalan), Portugal (lanche or merenda) and Italy (merenda), as well as Hispanic America, Philippines (meryenda/merienda), North Africa (Morocco), ...
, similar to British
Elevenses
Elevenses is a short break taken at around 11:00a.m. to consume a drink or snack. The names and details vary among countries.
Regional variations
Australia and New Zealand
In Australia and New Zealand, elevenses is known as "morning tea" and o ...
.
*''paquete'' ("package"): one million Colombian pesos, also used as an insult.
*''parar bolas'' ("to stop balls"): to pay attention.
*''parce'' or ''parcero'': "comrade" (derived from ''parcelo'', slang for owner of a plot of land (''parcela'')). Originally used as "cell mate" (sharing the same plot of land), its usage devolved into "partner in crime". Used only in criminal circles from the late 1970s, it is now used openly in almost every urban center. It is especially common in the Paisa dialect. Also, it has a drug trafficking-related background: traffickers adapted the Brazilian Portuguese word ''parceiro'' ("partner, friend or fellow").
*''perder el año'' ("lose the year"): (1) to flunk (fail to be promoted to the next grade) in school; (2) to die.
*''pilas'' ("batteries"): a word used for warning.
*''plata'' ("silver"): money.
*''plomo'' ("lead"): bullets.
*''porfa'' (from ''por favor''): please.
*''quicas'' (slang for "fat girls"): breasts (considered low-class).
*''ratero'' (from ''rata'' "rat"): robber.
*''rumbear'' ("to rumble"): to make out; to go clubbing (leading to making out).
*''sapo'' ("
toad
Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...
"):
informant
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
, snitch, tattletale.
*''sardino'', ''sardina'' ("
sardine
"Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the Ital ...
"): a young person.
*''sereno'' (also ''chiflón''): a mild disease or indisposition; associated with cold breezes (example: ''Me entró el sereno'' — "I think I got sick").
*''sisas'': yes (considered low-class).
*''soroche'': fainting (example: ''Me dió soroche'' — "I passed out").
*''taladro'' ("drill"): a man who has sex with boys.
*''teso'': (1) expert, "hardcore" (someone who is very good at doing something); (2) difficult or tricky.
*''tombo'':
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
.
*''tragado'' ("swallowed"): having a crush on someone.
*''trillar'' ("to thresh"): to make out; it is also used to indicate that something has been overused (example: ''Ya esta trillado eso'' - "That is overused")
*''tirar'' ("to throw, to shoot"): to have sex.
*''vaina'' ("
case
Case or CASE may refer to:
Containers
* Case (goods), a package of related merchandise
* Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component
* Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books
* Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...
"): a loose term for "things", refers to an object or to a complicated situation.
*''video'': (1) a lie, (2) an overreaction, (3) a problem.
*''vieja'' ("old woman"): woman, female friend, mom.
*''viejo'' or ''viejito'' ("old man"): dude, male friend, dad.
Dialects
John M. Lipski
John M. Lipski is an American linguist who is most widely known for his work on Spanish and Portuguese dialectology and variation. His research also focuses on Spanish phonology, the linguistic aspects of bilingualism and code-switching, Afr ...
groups Colombian dialects phonologically into four major zones. Canfield refers to five major linguistic regions.
Flórez proposes seven dialectal zones, based on phonetic and lexical criteria. Still others recognize eleven dialect areas, as listed below.
Caribbean dialect
The Caribbean or Coastal (''costeño'') dialect is spoken in the
Caribbean Region of Colombia
The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean.[Caribbean Spanish
*
Caribbean Spanish ( es, español caribeño, ) is the general name of the Spanish dialects spoken in the Caribbean region. The Spanish language was introduced to the Caribbean in 1492 with the voyages of Christopher Columbus. It resembles the S ...]
and is phonologically similar to
Andalusian Spanish
The Andalusian dialects of Spanish ( es, andaluz, , ) are spoken in Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla, and Gibraltar. They include perhaps the most distinct of the southern variants of peninsular Spanish, differing in many respects from northern varietie ...
. Word-final is realized as
velar
Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth (known also as the velum).
Since the velar region of the roof of the mouth is relatively extensive an ...
. Syllable-final is typically pronounced and sk ''costa'' ("coast") is pronounced and ''rosales'' ("roses") becomes . The most notable and distinguishable varieties of Atlantic Colombian accents are Samario (Considered the most articulated Atlantic Colombian accent and rhotic), Barranquillero (Mostly rhotic), Cartagena (Mostly non-rhotic and fast-spoken) and Montería (Sinú Valley Accent, strictly non-rhotic, plosive and very marked wording like
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation (RP) is the Accent (sociolinguistics), accent traditionally regarded as the Standard language, standard and most Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been ...
in British English).
Island dialect
This is the dialect spoken on the
islands
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
of
San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina in Colombia's
Caribbean Region
The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean.[Caribbean Spanish
*
Caribbean Spanish ( es, español caribeño, ) is the general name of the Spanish dialects spoken in the Caribbean region. The Spanish language was introduced to the Caribbean in 1492 with the voyages of Christopher Columbus. It resembles the S ...]
with some features of
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. Syllable-final can be realized, in addition to the
flap
Flap may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film
* Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis''
* Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland''
Biology and he ...
, the
trill
TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links) is an Internet Standard implemented by devices called TRILL switches. TRILL combines techniques from bridging and routing, and is the application of link-state routing to the VLAN-aware custom ...
, and the
lateral
Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
Healthcare
*Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction
*Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle
*Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap
Phonetics
*Lateral cons ...
as the
alveolar approximant
The voiced alveolar approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents the alveolar and postalveolar approximants is , a lowercase letter ''r'' rotated 18 ...
, the last being thought to be an influence of
British English
British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
. Thus, ''verso'' ("verse") becomes (alongside , , or ); ''invierno'' ("winter") becomes (alongside , , or ), and ''escarlata'' ("scarlet") becomes (alongside , , or ).
Word-final , when followed by a vowel-initial word, is usually realized as a tap, an approximant, or the lateral , as in ''amo'' ''eterno'' ("eternal love"). If it is when followed by a consonant or a pause, it may be realized as any of those sounds or as a trill or elided, as in ''amo'' ''paterno'' ("paternal love").
That phonetic characteristic is not exclusive to Colombians, whose ancestry is traced back to the Spanish period before the British invasion, under British territorial rule, and the recovery of Spanish control. It is also used by
Raizal
The Raizal are an Afro-Caribbean ethnic group from the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, off of Colombia's Caribbean coast. They are recognized by the Colombian authorities as one of the Afro-Colombian ethnic groups und ...
s, by whites of British descent, and by descendants of mainland Colombians. The dialect of native Spanish-speakers in the area is closer to the
Nicaraguan dialect of the Caribbean coast, reflecting the geographical location of the archipelago, off the coast of Nicaragua. Similar to Chocano and Isleño, there is a strong African influence in this dialect, owing to a large population of Afro-descendants in the region.
Chocó or Pacific dialect
This dialect extends beyond the
Department of Chocó
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
throughout the
Pacific coast
Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean.
Geography Americas
Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...
and is said to reflect African influence in terms of
intonation and
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...
. Characteristically, syllable-final /s/ is frequently either
debuccalized
Debuccalization or deoralization is a sound change or alternation in which an oral consonant loses its original place of articulation and moves it to the glottis (usually , , or ). The pronunciation of a consonant as is sometimes called aspira ...
and pronounced as or omitted, as in the Caribbean dialect (see above). Like the Caribbean dialect, word-final is realized as
velar
Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth (known also as the velum).
Since the velar region of the roof of the mouth is relatively extensive an ...
, /d/ is replaced by /r/ in some words, and syllable-final and are often merged, as in
Caribbean Spanish
*
Caribbean Spanish ( es, español caribeño, ) is the general name of the Spanish dialects spoken in the Caribbean region. The Spanish language was introduced to the Caribbean in 1492 with the voyages of Christopher Columbus. It resembles the S ...
. This dialect is also spoken by
Afro-Colombians
Afro-Colombians or African-Colombians ( es, afrocolombianos, links=no) are Colombians of full or partial sub-Saharan African descent (Blacks, Mulattoes, Pardos, and Zambos).
History
Africans were enslaved in the early 16th Century in Colom ...
living inland in the departments of
Cauca and
Valle del Cauca.
Cundiboyacense dialect
The Cundiboyacense dialect is spoken mainly in the departments of
Cundinamarca and
Boyacá (
Cundiboyacense High Plateau). It uses the expression ''sumercé'' or ''su merced'' (literally "your grace") often as a formal second-person singular pronoun. The pronoun ''usted'' is used when two people speak in an informal situation. ''Tuteo'' (the use of the pronoun ''tú'') is usual in conversation between a man and woman of similar ages. Occasionally, the pronoun ''usted'' may be used briefly in extremely-informal speech between couples or family members or to reprehend someone, depending on the tone of voice.
Rolo dialect
"Rolo" (a name for the dialect of
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
) is also called ''cachaco''. It is an area of strong ''ustedeo'', the familiar use of the pronoun ''usted''. The dialect follows many patterns similar to those of the Cundiboyacense dialect (preservation of syllable-final , preservation of in the ''-ado'' ending, preservation of the ''ll/y'' contrast (i.e., no ''
yeísmo
''Yeísmo'' (; literally "Y-ism") is a distinctive feature of certain dialects of the Spanish language, characterized by the loss of the traditional palatal lateral approximant phoneme (written ) and its merger into the phoneme (written ), u ...
''), etc.), but it had ls only marginal use of the formal second-person pronoun ''sumercé''.
Llanero or Eastern plains dialect
Llanero covers a vast area of the country with a low
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
. It is spoken in the eastern plains of the country from the
Cordillera Oriental (the eastern mountain range of the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
). It has a characteristic influence of inland Colombian settlers.
Opita dialect
The Opita dialect is spoken mostly in the departments of
Tolima and
Huila, mostly in the central and southern parts of the
Magdalena River Valley
The Magdalena River Valley ( es, Valle del Río Magdalena) is a valley in Colombia located within the Colombian Andes. The valley is specifically situated between the Central and Eastern Ranges and crossed by the river of the same name, the Magdale ...
. It is said to show strong influence of indigenous languages and is noted for its slow tempo and unique intonation. As in most of the Americas, the dialect has ''
yeísmo
''Yeísmo'' (; literally "Y-ism") is a distinctive feature of certain dialects of the Spanish language, characterized by the loss of the traditional palatal lateral approximant phoneme (written ) and its merger into the phoneme (written ), u ...
'' and ''
seseo
In Spanish dialectology, the realization of coronal fricatives is one of the most prominent features distinguishing various dialect regions. The main three realizations are the phonemic distinction between and ('), the presence of only alveo ...
''. The dialect is traditionally characterised by the use of the second-person pronoun ''usted'' (or ''vusted'' in some rural areas) in formal circumstances but also in familiar ones (in which most other dialects would use ''tú'', see "ustedeo" above). However, ''tú'' is gaining ground with young people. The use of ''
voseo
In Spanish grammar, () is the use of as a second-person singular pronoun, along with its associated verbal forms, in certain regions where the language is spoken. In those regions it replaces , i.e. the use of the pronoun and its verbal for ...
'' is rare.
Paisa dialect
The
Paisa
Paisa (also transliterated as ''pice'', ''pesa'', ''poysha'', ''poisha'' and ''baisa'') is a monetary unit in several countries. The word is also a generalised idiom for money and wealth. In India, Nepal, and Pakistan, the ''Paisa'' currently equa ...
dialect is spoken in the
Colombian coffee
Coffee production in Colombia has a reputation for producing mild, well-balanced coffee beans. Colombia's average annual coffee production of 11.5 million bags is the third total highest in the world, after Brazil and Vietnam, though highe ...
production areas, such as
Antioquia,
Quindío,
Risaralda,
Caldas, and the northernmost parts of
Tolima and
Valle del Cauca. Paisa Spanish has an
apicoalveolar
An apical consonant is a phone (speech sound) produced by obstructing the air passage with the tip of the tongue (apex) in conjunction with upper articulators from lips to postalveolar, and possibly prepalatal. It contrasts with laminal cons ...
, between and , as in northern and central Spain.
Paisa Spanish, a "
voseante" dialect, often uses ''vos'', rather than ''tú'', for the familiar singular "you" pronoun. The role of that
voseo
In Spanish grammar, () is the use of as a second-person singular pronoun, along with its associated verbal forms, in certain regions where the language is spoken. In those regions it replaces , i.e. the use of the pronoun and its verbal for ...
usage in forming the distinct Paisa linguistic identity was reinforced by its use in the works of several Paisa writers, including
Tomás Carrasquilla
Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo (1858 – 1940) was a Colombian writer who lived in the Antioquia region. He dedicated himself to very simple jobs: tailor, secretary of a judge, storekeeper in a mine, and worker at the Ministry of Public ...
,
Fernando González Ochoa,
Manuel Mejía Vallejo
Manuel Mejía Vallejo (23 April 1923 – 23 July 1998) was a Colombian writer and journalist. The specialist Luís Carlos Molina says that Mejía represents the Andean aspect of the contemporary Colombian narrative, characterized by a world ...
,
Fernando Vallejo
Fernando Vallejo Rendón (born 1942 in Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian-born novelist, filmmaker and essayist. He obtained Mexican nationality in 2007.
Biography
Vallejo was born and raised in Medellín, though he left his hometown early in l ...
, and
Gonzalo Arango
Gonzalo Arango Arias (Andes, Antioquia, Andes, Antioquia Department, Antioquia, 1931 – Gachancipá, Cundinamarca Department, Cundinamarca, 1976) was a Colombian writer, poet, and journalist. In 1958 he led a modern literary and cultural mo ...
.
Pastuso dialect
The
Pastuso dialect is spoken in the southwest ll of the country. One feature is
apicoalveolar
An apical consonant is a phone (speech sound) produced by obstructing the air passage with the tip of the tongue (apex) in conjunction with upper articulators from lips to postalveolar, and possibly prepalatal. It contrasts with laminal cons ...
, between and , as in northern and central Spain. However, unlike Paisa, speakers typically conserve the "ll"/"y" distinction (the dialect has no ''
yeísmo
''Yeísmo'' (; literally "Y-ism") is a distinctive feature of certain dialects of the Spanish language, characterized by the loss of the traditional palatal lateral approximant phoneme (written ) and its merger into the phoneme (written ), u ...
''), and in some areas, the ''r'' is pronounced as a
voiced
Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds (usually consonants). Speech sounds can be described as either voiceless (otherwise known as ''unvoiced'') or voiced.
The term, however, is used to refer ...
apical
Apical means "pertaining to an apex". It may refer to:
*Apical ancestor, refers to the last common ancestor of an entire group, such as a species (biology) or a clan (anthropology)
*Apical (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features loc ...
sibilant
Sibilants are fricative consonants of higher amplitude and pitch, made by directing a stream of air with the tongue towards the teeth. Examples of sibilants are the consonants at the beginning of the English words ''sip'', ''zip'', ''ship'', and ...
. Contrary to the usual tendency in Spanish to weaken or relax the sounds , , and between vowels, Pastuso-speakers tend to tense those sounds with more emphasis than in other dialects.
Santanderean dialect
Santanderean is spoken mostly in the northeastern part of the country in
Santander
Santander may refer to:
Places
* Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain
* Santander Department, a department of Colombia
* Santander State, former state of Colombia
* Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
and
Norte de Santander
North Santander (Spanish: Norte de Santander) () is a department of Northeastern Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the country's major cities.
North Santander is bordered by Venez ...
Departments. There is a strong use of ''ustedeo'' in both informal and formal contexts.
Valluno dialect
The Valluno dialect, or ''
español vallecaucano'', is spoken in the valley of the
Cauca River
The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangue in Bolivar Department, and th ...
between the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
cordillera
A cordillera is an extensive chain and/or network system of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope').
The term is most commonly us ...
s. In Cali, the capital of
Valle del Cauca, there is strong use of ''
voseo
In Spanish grammar, () is the use of as a second-person singular pronoun, along with its associated verbal forms, in certain regions where the language is spoken. In those regions it replaces , i.e. the use of the pronoun and its verbal for ...
'' (the use of the pronoun ''vos'' instead of other dialects, which use ''tú''), with its characteristic verb forms.
The Valluno dialect has many words and phrases not used outside of the region. People commonly greet one another with the phrase "¿Q'hubo vé, bien o qué?". Also, it is common to be asked "¿Sí o no?" when assessing agreement to rhetorical statements. Thong sandals are referred to as ''chanclas'', and plastic bags (''bolsas'' elsewhere) are called ''chuspas''. As in other areas, a ''chocha'' is another crude word for "vagina," and ''chucha'' refers to an opossum. A ''pachanguero'' is someone who dances or parties all night long.
Andrés Caicedo was the main writer to depict the vernacular usage of language accurately.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*Low, Peter (2015),
Colombian Spanish: Phrases, Expressions and Tips to Help You Speak Like a Local'' Travelloco Publishing,
*
*
External links
Colombia, capital del idioma español25 de marzo de 2007
Jergas de habla hispanaSpanish dictionary specializing in slang and colloquial expressions, featuring all Spanish-speaking countries, including Colombia
How to speak Colombian SpanishSample conversations and guide to common Colombian expressions, vocabulary, and phrases
El voseo en la literatura colombiana de los siglos XIX y XX, Ana María Díaz CollazosColombian Spanish BlogA series of English-language posts explaining slang terms and phrases used by Colombians.
{{Spanish variants by continent
Spanish dialects of South America
Colombian culture
Languages of Colombia
Spanish Colombian