| Amazonic Spanish | |
|---|---|
| español amazónico,español de la selva | |
| Pronunciation | [espaˈɲolamaˈsoniko],[espaˈɲoldelaˈselβa] |
| 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 |
Amazonic Spanish (español amazónico), also known asCharapa Spanish,Loreto-Ucayali Spanish or informally known in Peru simply asJungle Spanish (español de la selva), is a variety ofSpanish spoken in the Amazon, especially in the Peruvian provinces ofLoreto,San Martín andUcayali. Amazonic Spanish is also spoken in areas of Brazil adjoining Loreto and Ucayali and in theAmazonas Department of Colombia.[2][1][3]
One of the distinguishing features of Amazonic Spanish is the method of constructing the possessive form: speakers say "de laX suY" (of theX itsY), instead of standard Spanish "laY deX" (theY ofX).[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 yaminahuadelante de mí" (He asked the Yaminahua womanin front of me) with the Loreto-Ucayali "Le preguntó a la yaminahuaen mi delante" (He asked the Yaminahua womanin my front).[5]
Personal names are prefixed with a definite article (el orla, depending on the gender).[3]
/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.
Amazonic Spanish is classified as a separate language from standard Spanish byEthnologue, with its ownISO 639-3 code: spq.[1]
| Official languages | |
|---|---|
| Indigenous languages | |
| Spanish varieties | |
| Sign languages | |
