Cuban Spanish facts for kids

Cuban Spanish is a special way of speaking the Spanish language. It is the main way people speak Spanish in the country of Cuba. This type of Spanish shares many features with other Spanish dialects spoken in the Caribbean region.

Where Cuban Spanish Comes From

Much of Cuban Spanish comes from the Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands of Spain. This happened because many people from the Canary Islands moved to Cuba in the 1800s and early 1900s. People from other parts of Spain, like Galicia, Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Asturias, also moved to Cuba. However, their way of speaking did not change the language as much as the Canarian people did.

Many words in Cuban Spanish come from the Canarian dialect. But some words also come from other parts of Spain. Cuban Spanish also has words from West African languages, French, and even from the language of the native Taíno people who lived in Cuba long ago.

Different Ways of Speaking Across Cuba

The way people speak Spanish in Cuba can be a bit different from the east side of the island to the west side.

Eastern Cuba's Language

The eastern part of Cuba used to have many large farms called plantations. During the 1700s and 1800s, many people from Africa worked on these farms. Because of this, the eastern part of Cuba has a stronger influence from African languages. Some examples include words from Yoruba and Kikongo.

The Spanish spoken in eastern Cuba is more like Dominican Spanish. This is different from the Spanish spoken in the western part of the island. After the Haitian Revolution, the Haitian Creole language also influenced the culture in eastern Cuba. Some words used every day in the eastern dialect can be traced back to Haitian Creole words. Some Cubans can still speak Haitian Creole today.

See also

In Spanish: Español cubano para niños