It is clear to everyone that Cuba is a favorite tourist destination for many. The closeness of its people is one of the most endearing things on the island, but so are its peculiar phrases known as Cubanisms, which we have developed in two other articles on our blog. On this occasion we want to tell you a little more about history so that you understand where they come from and the political and social circumstances that allowed the appearance of these particularities of Spanish.
Thus, as in the world, history and the people who have passed through Cuba have influenced the language. Our jargon is the direct result of the folks and cultures that landed on the island looking for the new world. Before this happened, our land was inhabited for more than 10,000 years by fishing peoples that came from other parts of Central America. With the arrival of the Spanish crown in the 15th century, Cuba became the precious jewel for different countries of the "other world": French, English and the Spanish themselves, wanted to exploit the wealth of the country, from wood to products that at that time were exotic in the European colonies.
Due to the importance of commerce, Spanish was introduced over the years and was established as the local language aimed at commerce and the market. After a long 400 years of Spanish colonization, the Cubans finally became independent, not without forgetting the strong American, Russian, Portuguese and of course, the African influence, due to the slaves who arrived on the island during the colony and who today form an important particle of the Cuban ideology, not only in language, but also in religious matters. On the subject of religion, we also have a very curious article that you can consult here (links al blog de Regla y religion)
The result of all this mixture of cultures means that although the official language is Castilian, the people of the beautiful island have their peculiarities when it comes to speaking and expressing themselves. The clearest detail is that in the eastern part of our country a more classical Castilian is spoken, while in the west, as in neuralgic parts of the island such as Varadero and Havana, a more modern Spanish with “street” touches is used.
One of the perfectly recognizable characteristics of this change in language is the way in which Cubans change the letter "r" for "l" when pronouncing words like "amor" and "calor".
After this express review of history we are going to see some classic words or phrases in Cuba:
-Asere, que bolá?: We have already seen this in previous blogs but it´s basic to remember it is a very classic greeting is like expressing: How are you, my friend?
-Ambia: it is one of the many words to express friend.
-Chama or chamaco: A way of saying child, it is also used by older people as a simile of teenage.
- Tírame un cabo: When a Cuban uses this expression it is because he needs your help or that you do him a favor.
-No cojas lucha: This expression is used to make people understand there is no need to worry, better relax and smile. It has been the hakuna matata of the Cubans.
-Amanecer con el moño virao: When a Cuban does not have a good awakening, he uses this phrase to express that he is in a bad mood or, as they say, he woke up with the wrong foot.
I hope you have enjoyed this article and remember that you can consult our previous blogs with other useful Cubanisms so when you come to Cuba you will have a wonderful understanding with its people. Of course,
