Venezuela – Spanish Language and Culture
Population: 28.6 million (UN, 2009)
Capital: Caracas
Area: 881,050 km² (340,561 sq miles)
Currency: Bolivar fuerte (VEF)
National Holiday: 5th of July
Calling Code: + 58
Time Zone: GMT – 4
GDP: Total – US$ 301.012 billion (2010)
Per Capita – US$ 10,314
The Spanish Language in Venezuela
Venezuela’s unique orientation towards the Caribbean has caused the country’s Spanish to develop distinctly from other forms of Spanish on the main continent. Spanish in Venezuela is in fact closer to Spanish from Central America and Spanish spoken in the Caribbean. Aside from peninsular Spanish, Venezuelan Spanish was influenced by Spanish from the Canary Isles which in itself is more influenced by African languages. It is also not uncommon to find words taken from Italian, French and English in the vocabulary. Spanish in Venezuela shares characteristics with its neighbors Colombia, such as the use of the diminutive “ico” (gato – gatico) but also with the Dominican Republic and Cuba with the aspiration of ‘s’ to an ‘h’ as well as the disappearance of ‘d’ when between two vowels (pescado – pehcao).
Special words and expressions
- ¡anda vale! / ¡chochale vale! – these are fillers in sentences that have no specific significance.
- vaina – exclamation of something negative (¡que vaina!) or a word used to mean ‘thing’ (esa vaina – that thing)
- hablame el mío / la mía – what’s up, what’s going on? (talk to me dude)
- está a pata de mingo – it’s right next door
- jalar bola – to sweet talk, to lick (someone’s) boots
- llego el pacheco – typical saying from Caracas and the surroundings meaning that the cold has arrived, winter is coming.
- calarse – to put up with something
- corotos / macundales – junk / trash
- estoy guayabo – I have the blues, I am heart-broken
- guachiman – watch-man
- deja el chigüireo – stop being stupid
- carajito – child, kid
- bonche – party
- arrecho – angry/tough
Articles about Venezuela
Intermediate level Advanced level More VeinteMundos’ articles here.Other languages spoken
- There are close to 40 languages spoken in Venezuela today. Some languages remain unclassified.
- Wayuu – this is the main Amerindian language and is the spoken by 170,000 people.
- English – taught in schools for at least 5 years and is spoken as a second language in business circles and higher social classes.
- Italian – throughout the 20th century over 300,000 Italians moved to Venezuela. Today, in most private schools and many public schools Italian is taught as a second language.
- Colony German – the Germanic colony of ‘Colonia Trovar’ was founded in 1843 and remained isolated until 1960 maintaining their dialect of German. (Over the years, however, it has been influenced somewhat by Spanish)
Spanish dialects and variations
- Central or coastal Venezuelan is usually considered the standard form and is used in the capital and in media. It varies slightly depending on different social classes.
- The marabino Spanish (western Venezuela) differentiates itself from the rest of Venezuela with its use of ‘voseo’ which is conjugated the same as in Spain with “vosotros”. For example ‘tú eres’ in Marabino is “vos sois” and in Spain; vosotros sois, as opposed to Rioplatense (vos sos) or Chilean (vos erí).
- Spanish spoken on the island of Margarita is unique in its use of ‘ceceo’ (pronunciation of c and z like in Spain) and its likeness to Dominican and Puerto Rican Spanish.
Geography and Climate
Venezuela has a variety of climates and terrains and is one of the 17 mega diverse countries of the world. It includes the extensions of the Andes mountain chain with glaciers and highlands to the north, and the Guiana Highlands and Amazon Rainforest to the south. In between are vast flatlands (llanos) and the Orinoco River basin. The country has coastal territory in the north on both the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Weather doesn’t vary much throughout the year, but varies greatly from lowlands (tropical) to highlands (temperate or alpine).
Destinations in Venezuela
Salto Ángel
- Angel Falls (world’s highest waterfall)
- Coast, beaches and Islands – Isla Margarita, Archipielago Los Roques, Mochima National Park (windsurfing, snorkeling, sailing)
- Amazon Rainforest – Cerro Pintado, Puerto Ayacucho, Orinoco River (indigenous cultures, rafting, wildlife observation…)
- Caracas – historical monuments, museums
- Andes mountains – Merida (mountain climbing, biking, hiking…)
- Llanos – San Fernando de Apure, Guanare, cattle ranches (nature and wildlife observation, cowboy culture, bike and horse-back riding…)
- Orinoco Delta ( UNESCO biosphere)
History & Politics
Venezuela was visited by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century and within twenty years the first of Spanish colonies were being founded. Independence from Spain was achieved in 1810 when Napoleon Bonaparte was invading Spain. The 19th century was marked mostly by military rule that promoted industry (especially oil) with heavy foreign investment. Since 1958 Venezuela has been governed by democratically elected presidents. The current president, Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999, and has implemented many drastic reforms in view of creating “20th century socialism”.
¿Sabías qué….? Venezuela is the only country in South America where football (soccer) is not considered the national sport. The most popular sport in Venezuela is baseball.
Famous People
- Simón Bolívar (revolutionary leader of South America)
- Martin Tovar y Tovar (painter)
- Oscar D’León (musician)
- Tito Salas (painter)
- Teresa de la Parra (novelist)
- Andrés Eloy Blanco Meaño (poet)
- Andrés Bello (humanist)
- Carlos Raúl Villanueva (architect)
- Luis Aparicio (Professional baseball player)
- Teresa Carreño (pianist, singer, composer)
- Dayana Sabrina Mendoza Moncada (Miss Universe 2008)
Media
The Venezuelan media scene has been under a lot of scrutiny in the past years of Chavez’s presidency. He has had many conflicts with the media and has been accused of intimidating opposition media. In 2007 one of the major TV broadcasters of the country was refused renewal of their broadcasting license after conflict with the president.
El Nacional – www.el-nacional.com
Ultimas Noticias – www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve