Amazonic Spanish (español amazónico), also known as Charapa Spanish, Loreto-Ucayali Spanish or informally known in Peru simply as Jungle Spanish (español de la selva), is a variety of Spanish spoken in the Amazon, especially in the Peruvian provinces of Loreto, San Martín and Ucayali. Amazonic Spanish is also spoken in areas of Brazil adjoining Loreto and Ucayali and in the Amazonas Department of Colombia.[2][1][3]
| Amazonic Spanish | |
|---|---|
| español amazónico, español de la selva | |
| Pronunciation | [espaˈɲol amaˈsoniko], [espaˈɲol de la ˈselβa] |
| Native to | Peru |
| Region | Loreto River, Ucayali River |
Native speakers | 2,700 (2011)[1] |
Early forms | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | spq |
| Glottolog | lore1243 Peruvian Amazonian Spanish |
Distinctive features
editMorphosyntax
editOne of the distinguishing features of Amazonic Spanish is the method of constructing the possessive form: speakers say "de la X su Y" (of the X its Y), instead of standard Spanish "la Y de X" (the Y of X).[3][4] Another distinctive grammatical feature is the use of possessive forms in place of certain genitive forms; compare standard Spanish "Le preguntó a la yaminahua delante de mí" (He asked the Yaminahua woman in front of me) with the Loreto-Ucayali "Le preguntó a la yaminahua en mi delante" (He asked the Yaminahua woman in my front).[5]
Personal names are prefixed with a definite article (el or la, depending on the gender).[3]
Phonology
edit/x/ and especially the sequence /xw/ are frequently realized as [f] (as in Juana [ˈfana]).[3]
Amazonic Spanish also incorporates words and expressions borrowed from local indigenous languages.
Status
editAmazonic Spanish is classified as a separate language from standard Spanish by Ethnologue, with its own ISO 639-3 code: spq.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Amazonic Spanish at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ Castro-Gómez, S. and Grosfoguel, R. (2007) El giro decolonial Siglo del Hombre Editores, page 170.
- ^ a b c d Spanish in Brazil, http://www.spanish-in-the-world.net/Spanish/brasil.php Archived 2013-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Situacion linguistica del Peru L2: http://separatasudep.blogspot.com/2007/11/situacion-linguistica-del-per-l2.html
- ^ Marcone, Jorge (1997). La oralidad escrita: sobre la reivindicación y re-inscripción del discurso oral (in Spanish). Fondo Editorial PUCP. ISBN 978-9972-42-026-9.
