Panama – Spanish Language and Culture
Population: 3.5 million (2009)
Capital: Panama City
Area: 75,517 km² (29,157 sq miles)
Currency: Balboa (PAB)
National Holiday: 3rd of November
Calling Code: + 507
Time Zone: GMT -5
GDP: Total – US$ 26.731 billion
Per Capita – US$ 7,579
The Spanish Language in Panama
The Spanish in Panama is closer to Caribbean Spanish than it is to Central American varieties and is officially classified as Caribbean. It has influences from local indigenous populations and African languages but has also been influenced quite a bit by English (due to U.S. presence in the country) and languages of other immigration groups. A defining characteristic of Panamanian Spanish is the shortening of words (often by omitting the last syllable or the last consonant). Pronunciation is much more nasal than in South America.
Special words and expressions
- ¿qué sopá? – what’s up? to which one answers…
- to cul – all good
- ella me esta blazeando – she is bothering/annoying me
- ¡esto es una ñameria! – this is foolishness!
- ahuevazón – a dumb situation
- voy a agarrar los mangos bajitos – I will find an easier solution
- ¡vamos de arranque! – lets go party
- ayala (or pronounced ‘áshala’) – exclamation of surprise or anger (comes from “vaya la”)
- barriada bruja or barrio brujo – a ghetto
- blanco – cigarette
- laiter – lighter (anglicism)
- buco – a lot, much (influence from the French word for ‘a lot’ – beaucoup)
- chantin – house
- gallo – cheap
- zambito/a – child/kid/little girl/boy
Articles about Panama
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Intermediate level
- La increíble vida de los Emberá.
- Canal de Panamá, las aventuras de un capitán.
- ¡Cuidado con los diablos rojos!
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Advanced level
- Panamá, el misterio de las calles sin nombre.
- Un Raspao para refrescar.
- Uso de uniformes, un hábito muy latino.
Other languages spoken
- Ngäbere – most widely spoken native language in Panama; 128,000 speakers (another important indigenous language is Kuna which is spoken by 60,000 people)
- Panamanian Creole English or Colón Creole– spoken by over 260,000 people in the Bocas del Toro and Colón Province
- Chinese – there is a large population of Chinese immigrants and descendants of Chinese who arrived to work on the Panama Railroad in the 19th century. They speak a range of different Chinese varieties including Hakka and Cantonese
- Arabic – 15,000 speakers
- Yiddish, Hebrew, Korean and Japanese are amongst other languages spoken by immigrant groups
Spanish dialects and variations
- There is a strong difference between the Spanish spoken in Panama City and that which is spoken in rural areas.
- In Panama city variations occur across different social classes. Both accents and vocabulary are very different.
- In slang, a common practice is to change syllable order in a word. Ca-rro = Ro-ca (this is common among younger generations in many Hispanic countries) An example is “¿Qué sopá?”, (¿Qué pasó?)
- ‘Voseo’ is used only in the southern Azuero Peninsula. It follows the same conjugation as in western Venezuela (and unlike other Central American voseo)
Geography and Climate
Panama is bordered by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean and contains almost 500 rivers and lakes. It has a spine of hills and mountains along its length creating a continental divide. The climate is tropical and temperatures tend to be high with high humidity. In higher altitudes and on the Pacific coast, temperatures are cooler.
Destinations in Panama
San Blas
- Panama Canal
- Rainforest – Soberania National Park (ecotourism, wildlife observation, nature, adventure travel), Gatun Lake
- Pacific Coast – Chiriqui National Marine Park, Boca Brava Island (fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling) Higlands and mountains– Volcan Baru, Boquete
- Panama City – nearby beaches, architecture, culture
- Caribbean – Bocas del Toro, San Blas Islands
- Azuero Peninsula – Las Tablas (cowboy culture, carnavals)
History and Politics
Before coming under Spanish rule, Panama was home to many indigenous cultures including the Cuna and Guaymi. After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, it became part of Gran Colombia and didn’t become fully independent until the beginning of the 20th century. At this point it separated from Colombia but also gave power to part of its territory to the United States in order to build the Panama Canal and the country was granted rights to behave “as if it were sovereign” in this region. U.S. interests were closely tied with Panama’s political scene for the following decades and in 1989 the US invaded Panama overthrowing the sitting president, Manuel Noriega. Panama’s first woman president, Mireya Moscoso, was elected in 1999. Today, a plan to double the waterway in the Canal has been approved by Panamanians.
¿Sabías qué….? Tolls for the canal are based on size, weight, and cargo carried. The lowest toll ever paid was in 1928 by Richard Halliburton who crossed the Canal swimming–he paid $0.36!
Famous People
- Rubén Blades
(singer, songwriter, actor) - Justine Pasek (Miss Universe 2002)
- Carlos Lee (baseball player)
- Daphne Rubin Vega (singer, actress Broadway Rent)
- Luis Russell (jazz musician)
- Roberto Duran (boxer)
- Aileen Coparropa (swimmer)
- Laffit Pincay, Jr. (jockey)
- Roberto Lewis (painter, sculptor)
Media
During the dictatorships that were established in the second half of the 20th century, media in Panama was strictly controlled and censored. However, today Panama is one of the countries of Central America where freedom of the press is most respected and it is considered one of the safer countries for journalists.
El Siglo – www.elsiglo.com
La Prensa – www.prensa.com