[awagsFare]

I've always heard that gringo comes from Green Go!, which is what protesters somewhere (I was told Mexico, but it could be anywhere) shouted to US troops.

[dremucha]

And I know the difference! I once used the word "Cuartos" for "money" with a wealth Dominican.The moment it came out of my mouth I felt like a "Chopo"!Nothing wrong with knowing both,but you should learn "Good" Spanish,before you move on to Dominican Slang! "Everyone",does not use "slang"!As far as "Fitting In",Proper Spanish "Fits In" everywhere,"Slang" doesn't!Cris Colon

[AricGoffgog]

Like safacón, which comes from safety can. Correction, if you look into the "Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española" Zafacon means Canasta, which means Basket, which was intended to be meant as waste basket.


Tell me something about the MANGU, I have a very funny version of it from an Argentinian guy.

[dremucha]

...when they would never use the same vulgar language in their native tongue!If your "Dominican Family" uses some of those words,they are really from the lowest class!You will not be respected if you follow their custom! Cris Colon

[Zptmsemk]

Originally posted by jerseynegrita06
I am so happy that you guys did that!! I'm going to be staying in DR for like 10 meses and I know that everybody ain't gonna be talkin' all formal...so I needed to know some slang! The only slang that I knew was que lo que and I have no idea where I got that from, lol. Y'all are the bomb!! Thank u!! Dominicanisms, just like ebonics, serves no purpose except to lower the standards of literacy. You are doing neither Dominicans nor yourself any service by using them.

[AricGoffgog]

You all forgot our famous word
SANKY !!!!
:bunnny:

[yasalaioqe]

Like safacón, which comes from safety can.

ok...what is a safety can? lol

[yasalaioqe]

I am so happy that you guys did that!! I'm going to be staying in DR for like 10 meses and I know that everybody ain't gonna be talkin' all formal...so I needed to know some slang! The only slang that I knew was que lo que and I have no idea where I got that from, lol. Y'all are the bomb!! Thank u!!

[soipguibbom]

When is it appropriate to use the words " mucho and Tanto"

I've heard the word "tanto" in songs instead of mucho.

[Npbfamgt]

Originally posted by Porfio_Rubirosa
..onomonopia.... onomonopia?
we were taught that it was "onomatopoeia". unless you are talking about something completely different.

[dremucha]

take what has been written here with a large,"Grain-Of-Salt"!!!Don't accept the "Whole Nine Yards"! (A cement mixer when full contains 9 Cubic Yards of cement,the driver always asked how much he was to deliver before he started, to make sure that the invoice was correct)If he was to deliver his entire load,the foreman said,"The Whole 9 Yards!)

You may wish to ask a "Black" person,and a "Jew" if "Chopo" is an equivalent "Slure" to the ones used by "An Evil"!

Somethings are just better left unsaid!

Cris Colon

[Rtebydou]

Originally posted by bochinche
onomonopia?
we were taught that it was "onomatopoeia". unless you are talking about something completely different. Bochi, are you an "anal" spelling bee geek or did the misspelling really make you think that I meant something else? No need to answer.

[cestsennY]

Originally posted by An Evil
I've noticed that the dominicans in the USA tend to use slang more aggressively and more addictively. As with any other place in the world, slang is heavier among the young.

I know and use a lot of those terms. I'd say that my immediate acquaintances and myself would have no problem dropping the slang, while others may not. I think I would only have a problem trying to stop calling my friends 'loco' or 'viejo'. But at least those words are correct, unlike "a po' ta' bien".

Echoing Jan, one should keep in mind that not all slang terms are vulgarisms. If you can tell apart what is acceptable slang from what are basic, crudest terms, you could appear as an educated yet simple person.

Gotta agree with that, I have a cousin who is an Attias, rich family, raised in the US, he considers himself more Dominican by peppering his conversations with the slang terms you mentioned, him and my aunt get into discussions about it all the time. She corrects him but then he keeps doing it. My opinion is that there is a time and place for everything. In the US military, we can take a Language Proficiency Test and I just took it and passed. When I have to speak in Spanish to anyone out here in Virginia, I don't inject my sentences with slang until I've known those folks for a while...........

It doesn't hurt to know what the slang phrases are, but please learn the proper way to speak Spanish before anything.....

[Rtebydou]

Originally posted by An Evil
[B]
Guagua: A bus. Derived from wagon.
I have always understood "guagua" to be an onomonopia based on the sound of a bus horn - like a "tap-tap" based on the sound of the motor.

[dremucha]

No need to "Re-Invent" the wheel here.This was a thread of many days,and many pages.Go take a look! Moderator

[Grizli]

"And I know the difference! I once used the word "Cuartos" for "money" with a wealth Dominican.The moment it came out of my mouth I felt like a "Chopo"!" criss colon

Man you are killing me. That was the funniest post I have seen in a long time.

[jeaccatty]

Tanto would be "so much".

Te quiero mucho = I love you a lot

Te quiero tanto = I love you sooooooo much

[Npbfamgt]

Originally posted by Porfio_Rubirosa
Bochi, are you an "anal" spelling bee geek or did the misspelling really make you think that I meant something else? No need to answer. yes, i am. fank ewe verry mutch.

[awagsFare]

I've noticed that the dominicans in the USA tend to use slang more aggressively and more addictively. As with any other place in the world, slang is heavier among the young.

I know and use a lot of those terms. I'd say that my immediate acquaintances and myself would have no problem dropping the slang, while others may not. I think I would only have a problem trying to stop calling my friends 'loco' or 'viejo'. But at least those words are correct, unlike "a po' ta' bien".

Echoing Jan, one should keep in mind that not all slang terms are vulgarisms. If you can tell apart what is acceptable slang from what are basic, crudest terms, you could appear as an educated yet simple person.

Etymology With An Evil.

A lot of slang is derived from english terms adopted and mutated into slang. Most of these words came to be during the First Occupation of the DR by the USA, from 1916 through 1924. Some came later. Examples include:

Pana: As in mi pana. It means friend, and it is derived from the word partner.

Chercha: Lively, disorganized chatter. It comes from the word church. Back when the Catholic Mass was a rigorous event recited in latin, the singing and shouting coming out of the newly founded anglican churches raised eyebrows and indignation.

Bicuí: Little ceramic ornaments, such as wedding souvenirs, etc. Comes from biscuit, as in anything that is baked.

Colín: A machete. The US forces used some machete-like blades. The most popular brand name was Collins.

Usa: From (duh!) U.S.A.. It is the cloth placed underneath the horse saddle. Again, the US armed forces back then used a good deal of horses, and all the army saddles had this government-issued cloths with the USA inscription.

Pariguayo: Finally, the mystery will be solved for the exiles! A pariguayo is either a goofy geek or a snob. The word is used to describe both these people, with very dissimilar amounts of self steem, because both can be found as party watchers, away from the crowd and keeping to themselves.

Paire: A pan or container, preferably glass. This one is more recent. It's derived from Pyrex, the emblematic brand name of high-temperature-resisting cooking utensils.

A la brigandina: This one comes from the Trujillo era. Supposedly, the Bridge Andine company was a foreign contractor hired to build (duh!) bridges. The performance of this company was fraudulent, and the bridges were below the necessities of the roads and its travellers. So now, doing things A la brigandina means to do a half-assed job.

Ace: Detergent, also derived from a popular brand name. But it must be pronounced Ah-seh, not Aiss.

Guagua: A bus. Derived from wagon.

Ampaya: If you beat the word umpire with a tire iron, you end up with this.

Chopo/a: A tricky one. A lot of people will use it, but in some cases it can be really offensive. It comes from shopper, referring to the servants and errand-runners employed by the US residents during the Occupation of 1916. The word can now be used freely to describe anything tacky or un-refined. It is still an insult, don't expect hugs from it, but if you use it to mean "You have bad taste" or "you're un-cultured", you're not insulting the person much. However if you use the word to denote anything like its original use (and I'm sure some of you exiles will find yourselves in those situations), the word gains the strenght of words such as nigger or kike. Rule of thumb: Use it on those that are closest to you.

Some of these slang terms, like brigandina and paire are generally accepted. Others should be dropped on former conversation. Little hues and nuances that compose any language.

[jeaccatty]

Hi, An Evil, kindred spirit, man/woman after my own heart...

I've understood that 'gringo' derives from 'griego' in Spanish, and was a term used for people who spoke unintelligible Spanish, as in 'It's all Greek to me'. It used to be thought that the work originated in the Mexican war and from the song "Green grow the rushes-O", however 'gringo' appears in a Castillian dictionary 50 yrs before that war ever took place.