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Puerto Rican accents

Puerto Rican accents, both in Spanish and English language, could be described as a reflection of Puerto Rico's culture.

To understand the concept of the Puerto Rican accent in Spanish, it must be remembered that every country in Latin America has different accents in this language, many of which are very similar. The Argentine, Chilean and Uruguayan accents, for example, were heavily influenced by the presence of Italians in those countries. Brazilians, while Portuguese is their official language, have an accent in Spanish that is very influenced by their Portuguese background.

In Puerto Rico's case, Spaniards arrived from many regions within Spain and brought with them their own regional dialects/accents. However, the majority of Spanish immigrants came from Andalusia and the Canary Islands and it is the accents of these Spanish regions which served as the basis of the style of Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico.

As is typical of the Spanish speaking Caribbean, The Puerto Rican accent is very similar to the accents used by Cubans, Dominicans, Venezuelans, Canary Islanders and Andalusians in southern Spain.

When Blacks in Puerto Rico adopted the accent is not exactly known, but Blacks came to Puerto Rico from Africa as slaves, and it is certain that they adopted the Puerto Rican accent centuries ago. Chinese Puerto Ricans and other Asians that have grown in Puerto Rico also adopt the accent, but they keep a tinge of an Asian accent attached.

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Features of the Puerto Rican accent in Spanish:

  • Seseo - This refers to the changing of the sound of the "C" or "Z" for the sound of an "S". Examples include "sapato" instead of "zapato" and "asul" instead of "azul". This is also common in other latin-american countries.
  • Aspiration or elimination of the "S" - Usually, at the end of a word or a vowel, the "S" sound is replaced by an aspirated sound (similar to the english sound of the "H") or eliminted altogether. Examples include "lah mujereh" instead of "las mujeres" and "loh doh" instead of "los dos". This is also common in other latin-american countries.
  • Elimination of the "D" between vowels - Happens usually near the end of a word. Examples include "estao" instead of "estado", "parao" instead of "parado" and "deprimío" instead of "deprimido".
  • Elimination of the "D" at the end of a word - Examples include "uhté" instead of "usted" and "Madrí" instead of "Madrid".
  • Change of the "R" sound for the "L" sound - Happens at the end of a word or syllable. Examples include "cantal" instead of "cantar", "olden" instead of "orden" and "amol" instead of "amor".
  • Change of the "rr" sound for the "kh" sound - Many rural Puerto Ricans do not roll their tongues on the double "r" sound in words (ex. "arroz" or "carro", making it sound like the Scottish loch.

Also, Puerto Ricans often shorten words. A good example is the words "para" and "padre" ("for" and "father"). Puerto Ricans might pronounciate those as "pa'" ("para") and "pai" ("father").

Puerto Rican-American accent in Spanish

Puerto Rican-Americans, (called "Newyorricans", for example if they live in New York) abound in the Eastern coast of the United States, in Florida and some parts of the Western coast of the States. Their accent is heavily influenced by the surroundings in which they grew: While sounding Puerto Rican, they also sound like Americans when talking in Spanish.

Puerto Rican English language

Once again, this accent is influenced by history and by surroundings. Many of the islands near Puerto Rico were United Kingdom properties, and the United Kingdom actually once tried to invade Puerto Rico. The fact that Puerto Rico was owned for about four centuries by Spain also influenced the Puerto Rican accent in English; many people think native Puerto Ricans sound like Europeans when they speak English. Some non Puerto Ricans actually claim that when they speak English, native Puerto Ricans actually sound like Australians.

The fact that many of the so called "Newyorricans" visit Puerto Rico yearly also contributes to the native Puerto Rican's accent in English, as they bring with themselves the typical New England accent.

See also

Last updated: 05-23-2005 14:15:27