Have you ever considered how different Spanish is spoken in different countries? I never imagined the contrast could be so great. The differences between Latin American Spanish dialects are often much greater than the differences between, for example, US and UK English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My sister’s wedding was this weekend, and I met her husband for the first time, a man from Puerto Rico. I thought, cool, we’ll get to speak Spanish together since Spanish is the official language for both countries. I’m from the Dominican Republic. Ah! But I didn’t realize that Puerto Ricans (or Boricuas<\/strong>, as they call themselves) speak so differently from Dominicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a conversation between Dominicans and Puerto Ricans, the speed and tone<\/strong>, as well as some of the slang phrases<\/a>, can present a challenge. I was able to experience first-hand the Puerto Rican Spanish accent and dialect and got a lesson in how each country tends to vary the language by adding its own rhythm and phrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We share many common words, including those from our Taino heritage<\/a> as our ancestors came from the same region. Some of these shared words are pretty common in Caribbean countries, such as barbacoa<\/em> (BBQ), canoa<\/em> (Canoe), Tabaco<\/em>\u2026 and much more. Both countries have been greatly influenced by other cultures like those of the country of Spain<\/a> and the African continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is not the only similarity we have. Puerto Rican Spanish and Dominican Spanish both use a lot of contractions, slang, and regionalisms, and both add a touch of melody to their language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table of Contents<\/p>\n