Nicaraguan Spanish

Nicaraguan Spanish ( es, Español nicaragüense) is geographically defined as the form of Spanish spoken in Nicaragua. Affectionately, Nicaraguan Spanish is often called ''Nicañol.''

The Spanish dialect in Nicaragua shares many similarities with that of its neighbors in the region, but it also has some stark differences in pronunciation and usage.

Nicaragua has the highest frequency, among Central American countries, of the use of ''voseo''—use of the pronoun ''vos'' and its verb forms for the familiar second-person singular ("you"), in place of the ''tú'' of Standard Spanish. In this regard it is similar to the usage of Argentina and Uruguay in the Río de la Plata region of South America. ''Vos'' is used frequently in colloquial and familiar settings, but Nicaraguans also understand tuteo. The use of "vos" can be heard in television programs and can be seen in written form in publications.

In the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region and the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, language and pronunciation is strongly influenced by Indigenous and creole languages such as Miskito, Rama, Sumo, Miskito Coastal Creole, Jamaican Patois, Garifuna and Rama Cay Creole but Spanish has become the main language spoken.

Origins

The Nicaraguan accent, like most New World Spanish, dates back to the 16th century in Andalusia. It shares later developments of Andalusian Spanish with that of Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean/coastal regions of Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Honduras and Puerto Rico. Nicaragua's relative isolation from Spain, however, and, to an extent, from other nations, fostered the development of the Nicaraguan accent, which did not change in the same ways that the Andalusian, Canarian, or other Spanish-American accents did.

During its history, Nicaraguan Spanish has acquired many indigenous influences and several distinguishing characteristics. Until the 19th century, a hybrid form of Nahuat-Spanish was the common language of Nicaragua. Today, Nahuat, Mangue and Mayan words, along with their respective syntax, can be found in everyday speech. Also, as Nicaragua was part of First Mexican Empire, there are a number of words widely used in Nicaragua which have Nahuatl, Mayan or other native origins, in particular names for flora, fauna and toponyms.

Pronunciation

Notable characteristics of Nicaraguan phonology include the following:
*The presence of Seseo wherein and are not distinguished. Seseo is common to Andalusian and Canarian Spanish varieties.
* Syllable-final is realized as glottal D. Lincoln Canfield, ''Spanish Pronunciation in the Americas'' (University of Chicago Press, 1981), pp. 65-66.John M. Lipski, ''Latin American Spanish'' (Longman, 1994), pp. 290-291. (except in the southern departments of Rio San Juan and Rivas, and in the formal speech, like TV broadcasts).
** Syllable final -aspiration occurs to a greater extent in Nicaraguan Spanish than in the other Central American dialects. Nicaraguans retain phrase-final more often than Caribbean speakers, and rarely fully elide pre-consonantal .
* is realized as glottal .
* Intervocalic often disappears; the ending ''-ado'' is often .
* There is no confusion between and , as in the Caribbean.
* Word-final is pronounced velar .
* Word-final voiceless stops (, , —rare in native Spanish words, but occurring in many words borrowed from English) are often merged in pronunciation as . The Costa Rican ice cream shop ''Pops,'' with franchises in other Central American countries, is pronounced in certain regions of Nicaragua as ''Pocs.'' ''Internet'' is sometimes pronounced * ; ''cenit'' is pronounced * ; ''laptop'' is pronounced * ; and ''robot'' pronounced * . This is sometimes extended to native Spanish words where such stops are found at the end of a syllable. For example, ''aceptar'' is sometimes pronounced * .
*As Nicaragua was part of First Mexican Empire, Nicaraguan dialect adopted the voiceless alveolar affricate and the cluster (originally ) represented by the respective digraphs and in loanwords of Nahuatl origin, like '' quetzal'' and ''tlapalería'' ('hardware store'). Even words of Greek and Latin origin with , such as and , are pronounced with : , (compare , in Spain and other dialects in Hispanic America).

Second person singular pronouns

Vos

''Vos'' is the predominant second person singular pronoun used by most speakers in familiar or informal contexts to address people in the same age group. ''Vos'' is also used by adults in addressing children or juveniles, but children address adults with ''usted''.

Conjugations with the ''vos'' pronoun

Nicaraguan ''voseo'' is both pronominal and verbal; that is, speakers use the pronoun ''vos'' and the characteristic final-stressed verb forms. See Voseo

Affirmative Imperative

See Voseo Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Nicaraguan ''voseo''—like that of Rioplatense Spanish—places stress on the last syllable. For example, ''¡Ven acá!'' or ''¡Ven aquí!'' becomes ''¡Vení!''

Usted

''Usted'' is the formal second person singular pronoun in Nicaraguan Spanish, as in almost all modern varieties of Spanish. ''Usted'' is used in addressing elderly people, authorities, foreigners formally and in business settings. In contrast to neighboring Costa Rica, Nicaraguans are more inclined to address a casual acquaintance as ''vos'', rather than ''usted''.

Tú

''Tú'' is hardly used in Nicaraguan Spanish, except in addressing foreigners familiarly, in speech or in writing. Due in part to the influence of Mexican, Colombian, and Venezuelan television programming, Nicaraguans are familiar with tuteo, and some television viewers, especially children, have begun to use it in limited contexts.

Vocabulary

A number of words widely used in Nicaragua which have Nahuatl, Mayan or other native origins, in particular names for flora, fauna and toponyms. Some of these words are used in most, or all, Spanish-speaking countries, like ''chocolate'' and ''aguacate'' ("avocado"), and some are only used in Mexico and Nicaragua. The latter include ''guajolote'' "turkey" < Nahuatl ''huaxōlōtl'' (although ''pavo'' is also used, as in other Spanish-speaking countries); ''papalote'' "kite" < Nahuatl ''pāpālōtl'' "butterfly"; and ''jitomate'' "tomato" < Nahuatl ''xītomatl'' . For a more complete list see List of Spanish words of Nahuatl origin. Certain words that are present in Nicaraguan Spanish may not be immediately recognizable to non-Nicaraguans:
* : (adj.) It means to be worried, . Similar to "preocupado" or "afligido".
* : beer.
* : lazy.
* : friend, brother, companion.
* : a lot, a large quantity.
* : form of leather shoe typically worn and made by ''campesinos''.
* : auto rickshaw, motorized tricycles.
* : adolescent or young person; child.
* : gnat, fruit flies.
* : balloon.
* : something unimportant; nonsense (usually as a comment in regard to someone's words).
* : turkey.
* : an all-purpose word that's loosely translated to mean “that” or “thing”
* : brat, punk; small child.John M. Lipski, Latin American Spanish (Longman, 1994), p. 293
* : gossip.
* : baby of the family, the youngest son or daughter.
* '': angry, furious, disgusted. Angrier than "arrecho".
* : angry as well. In the same intensity of "encachimbado".
* : hangover (''estar de goma'').
* : liquor, usually rum.
* : expression of surprise; means: What's up?.
* : baker's dozen (13 items) .
* : depending on context, it can refer to a friend, a third person (in a familiar manner), or be colloquially used to call someone a moron.
* , ''nicoya: (noun, colloquial) Nicaraguan.
* : drinking straw.
* : workplace or any job.
* : stingy, cheapskate
* : (noun, colloquial) a Nicaraguan person.
* : grocery store.
* : (colloquial) awesome, impressive.
* : thief, crook.
* : liar or bigmouth.
* : very nice or pleasing, of high quality (often applied to clothing).
* : mosquito.

See also

*Spanish language in the Americas
* Central American Spanish
*Seseo
*Voseo

References

Further reading

Real Academia Española Diccionario Panhispánico de DudasHistory of VoseoLexicon of Nicaraguan SpanishDropping of ''S'' in word endings.

{{Languages of Nicaragua

Central American Spanish