Taino words in Dominican Spanish

[mkohn]

Bonche reminded me of 'ponche' which could be a beverage at a party ...
And to me bochinche a lio or sticky situation. We also use 'ring around the rosey' and bochinche.
mkohn

[Celt202]

Originally Posted by NALs

The truth about the word "guagua" is that nobody truly knows where it came from.

In any case, I include it on this list because its often cited as a Taino word.

In a conversation with a Puerto Rican friend in Boston I mentioned 'guagua' as a word of Taino origin. Her opinion is that it originated from dogs chasing buses and barking at them, "gua, gua, gua...".

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Celt202

In a conversation with a Puerto Rican friend in Boston I mentioned 'guagua' as a word of Taino origin. Her opinion is that it originated from dogs chasing buses and barking at them, "gua, gua, gua...".

He he he

Gua gua is a term also used by Boricuas and Cubans, perhaps they know something beyond the Taino connection.

-NALs

[juancarlos]

Guagua is also used in the Canary Islands. God knows its true origins!

[Mirador]

Originally Posted by juancarlos

Guagua is also used in the Canary Islands. God knows its true origins!

We can credit the Canary Islanders for our use of 'guagua' for bus. The expression is derived from the extinct Guanche language, which some experts relate to Jebala, a dialect of North African Berber language.

-

[john.george8]

Segun el diccionario, la palabra ají tiene como forma plural ajies.
Me dicen que en puerto rico se dice algo diferente. ¿ Cual es la forma mas común para el plural de ají ?

[Chirimoya]

I've heard both ajies and ajises in the DR.

[Mirador]

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

I've heard both ajies and ajises in the DR.

Ají is a Taino word. De las Casas wrote it with an X...

"Allí había muy mucho algodón y muy fino y luengo, y hay muchas almácigas, y parecíale que los arcos eran de tejo, y que hay oro y cobre: también hay mucho axí, ques su pimienta, della que vale más que pimienta, y toda la gente no come sin ella, que la halla muy sana..."

the plural ajies seems more gramatically correct, ajises seems archaic, however its use is very prevalent in rural DR.

[Chirimoya]

They say ají in Ecuador as well. How did that come about? Did the Spanish adopt the Taíno word in other parts of the New World?

[Mirador]

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

They say ají in Ecuador as well. How did that come about? Did the Spanish adopt the Taíno word in other parts of the New World?

More like other parts of the New World adopted the Taino expressions before the arrival of the Spanish. And the other way around, for example, the Taino 'batata' was probably influenced by the Quechua 'papa'. Also, you find Taino using words from Nahuatl, like 'tomatl'...