1. Variation and accents

2. Phonology

3. Syntax and grammar
    Pronouns and verbs  Ser  Conjugation 

4. Vocabulary
    Argentine and Rioplatense influence  Mapudungun loanwords  Quechua loanwords  French, German and English loanwords 

5. Sample

6. See also

7. References

8. Bibliography

9. External links

Variation and accents

In Chile, there are not many differences between the Spanish spoken in the northern, central and southern areas of the country,^[3] although there are notable differences in zones of the far south—such as Aysén, Magallanes (mainly along the border with Argentina), and Chiloé—and in Arica in the extreme north. There is, however, much variation in the Spanish spoken by different social classes.^[4] In rural areas from Santiago to Valdivia, Chilean Spanish shows the historical influence of the Castúo dialects of Extremadura (Spain),^[5][6] but some authors point to the Spanish province of Andalusia and more specifically to the city of Seville as an even greater influence on the historical development of Chilean Spanish.

Phonology

There are a number of phonetic features common to most Chilean accents, but none of them is individually unique to Chilean Spanish.^[7] Rather, it is the particular combination of features that sets Chilean Spanish apart from other regional Spanish dialects.^[8] The features include the following:^[9][10]

• Yeísmo, the historical merger of the phoneme {{IPA|/ʎ/}} (spelled {{angbr|ll}}) with {{IPA|/ʝ/}} (spelled {{angbr|y}}). For speakers with yeísmo, the verbs cayó 's/he fell' and calló 's/he fell silent' are homophones, both pronounced {{IPA|[kaˈʝo]}}. (In dialects that lack yeísmo, maintaining the historical distinction, the two words are pronounced respectively {{IPA|[kaˈʝo]}} and {{IPA|[kaˈʎo]}}.) Yeísmo characterizes the speech of most Spanish-speakers both in Spain and in the Americas. In Chile, there is a declining number of speakers who maintain the distinction, mainly in some Andean areas, south of Santiago.^[3][11]
• Like most other American dialects of Spanish, Chilean Spanish has seseo: {{IPA|/θ/}} is not distinguished from {{IPA|/s/}}. In much of the Andean region, the merged phoneme is pronounced as apicoalveolar {{IPAblink|s̺}}, a sound with a place of articulation intermediate between laminodental {{IPAblink|s}} and palatal {{IPAblink|ʃ}}. That trait, unique in the Americas, is associated with a large number of northern Spanish settlers in Andean Chile.
• Syllable-final {{IPA|/s/}} is often aspirated to {{IPA|[h]}} or lost entirely, another feature common to many varieties of Spanish in the Americas, as well as the Canary Islands and the southern half of Spain. Whether final {{IPA|/s/}} aspirates or is elided depends on a number of social, regional, and phonological factors, but in general, aspiration is most frequent before a consonant. Complete elision is most commonly found word-finally but carries a sociolinguistic stigma.^[12] Thus, los chilenos '(the) Chileans' can be {{IPA|[lɔh t͡ʃiˈleːnɔ]}}.
• The velar consonants {{IPA|/k/}}, {{IPA|/ɡ/}}, and {{IPA|/x/}} are fronted or palatalized before front vowels. Thus, queso 'cheese', guía 'guide', and jinete 'rider/horseman' are pronounced respectively {{IPA|[ˈceːso]}}, {{IPA|[ˈɟi.a]}}, and {{IPA|[çiˈn̪eːt̪e]}}. Also, {{IPA|/x/}}, it is pronounced {{IPA|[h]}} or {{IPA|[x]}} in other phonological environments and so caja 'box' and rojo 'red' are pronounced {{IPA|[ˈkaxa]}} ~ {{IPA|[ˈkaha]}} and {{IPA|[ˈroxo]}} ~ {{IPA|[ˈroho]}} respectively.
• Between vowels and word-finally, {{IPA|/d/}} commonly elides or lenites, as is common throughout the Spanish-speaking world); contado 'told' and ciudad 'city' are {{IPA|[kon̪ˈt̪aːo]}} and {{IPA|[sjuˈð̞aː]}} respectively. Elision is less common in formal or upper-class speech.
• The voiceless postalveolar affricate {{IPA|/t͡ʃ/}} is pronounced as a fricative {{IPA|[ʃ]}} by many lower-class speakers and so Chile and leche (milk) are pronounced {{IPA|[ˈʃiːle]}} and {{IPA|[ˈleʃe]}}, respectively). That pronunciation is greatly stigmatized. Other variants are more fronted and include the alveolar affricate {{IPA|[t͡s]}} or an even more fronted dental affricate {{IPAblink|t̪͡s̪}}, mostly in the upper class. Thus, Chile and leche are pronounced {{IPA|[ˈt͡siːle]}} or {{IPA|[ˈlet͡se]}}.
• Word-final {{IPA|/n/}} is realized as a velar nasal {{IPA|[ŋ]}}.
• Unstressed word-final vowels are often devoiced.^[13]
• Consonant cluster [t{{IPA|ɾ}}] can be pronounced [{{IPA|t͡ɹ̝̥}}], this is an influence of Mapudungun.

Syntax and grammar

• Doubling the object clitics me, te, se, lo(s), la(s) and le(s) before and after the verb is common in or lower-class speech. For example, 'I'm going to go' becomes me voy a irme (Standard Spanish: me voy a ir and voy a irme). 'I'm going to give them to you' becomes te las voy a dártelas.
• Queísmo (using que instead of de que) is socially accepted and used in the media, and dequeísmo (using de que instead of que) is somewhat stigmatized.
• In ordinary speech, conjugations of the imperative mood of a few of verbs tend to be replaced with the indicative third-person singular. For example, the second-person singular imperative of poner 'to put', which is pon, becomes pone; that of hacer 'to do', which is haz, becomes hace; and that of salir 'to exit', sal, becomes sale: hace lo que te pedí 'do what I asked'. However, that is not done in formal speech. Chileans also replace the etymological second-person singular imperative of the verb ir 'to go', ve, with the second-person singular imperative of andar 'to walk', anda, and ve is reserved for the verb ver 'to see': ve la hora 'look at the time'.
• Another feature to note is the lack of use of the possessive nuestro 'our', which is usually replaced by de nosotros 'of us': ándate a la casa de nosotros, literally 'go to the house of us', instead of ándate a nuestra casa 'go to our house'.
• It is very common in Chile, as in many other Latin American countries, to use the diminutive suffixes -ito and -ita. They can mean 'little', as in perrito 'little dog' or casita 'little house', but can also express affection, as with mamita 'mummy, mommy'. They can also diminish the urgency, directness, or importance of something to make something annoying seem more pleasant.^[14] So, if someone says espérese un momentito literally 'wait a little moment', it does not mean that the moment will be short, but that the speaker wants to make waiting more palatable and hint that the moment may turn out to be quite long.

Pronouns and verbs

Chileans use the voseo and tuteo forms for the intimate second-person singular. Voseo is common in Chile, with both pronominal and verbal voseo being widely used in the spoken language.

In Chile there are at least four grades of formality:

• Pronominal and verbal voseo, the use of the pronoun vos (with the corresponding voseo verbs):
  vos sabí(s), vos vení(s), vos hablái(s), etc.
  

This occurs only in very informal situations and should be approached and used with caution by foreigners. It is always considered rude and insulting but is tolerated and enjoyed as part of friendly bonding and banter. However, with even a slight change in intonation, it can change from a tone of friendly banter to a form of insult to a heated argument, even among friends. Non-natives should refrain from using vos until sufficient understanding of its use is gained.

• Verbal voseo, the use of the pronoun tú:
  tú sabí(s), tú vení(s), tú hablái(s), etc.
  This is the predominant form used in the spoken language.^[15] It should never be used in formal situations or with people one does not know well.

• Standard tuteo:
  tú sabes, tú vienes, tú hablas, etc.
  This is the only acceptable way to write the intimate second-person singular. Its use in spoken language is reserved for slightly more formal situations such as (some) child-to-parent, teacher-to-student, or peer-to-peer relations among people who do not know each other well.

• The use of the pronoun usted:
  usted sabe, usted viene, usted habla, etc.
  This is used for all business and other formal interactions, such as student-to-teacher but not always teacher-to-student as well as "upwards" if one person is considered to be well respected, older or of an obviously higher social standing. Stricter parents will demand this kind of speech from their children as well.

The Chilean voseo conjugation has only three irregular verbs in the present indicative: ser 'to be', ir 'to go', and haber 'to have' (auxiliary).

Ser

In Chile, there are various ways to say 'you are' to one person.

• Vo(s) soi
• Vo(s) erí(s)
• Tú soi
• Tú erí(s)
• Tú eres
• Usted es

Only the last two are considered Standard Spanish. Usage depends on politeness, social relationships, formality, and education. The ending (s) in those forms is aspirated or omitted.

Conjugation

A comparison of the conjugation of the Chilean voseo, the voseo used in Latin American countries other than Chile, and tuteo follows:

Vocabulary

Chilean Spanish has a great deal of distinctive slang and vocabulary. Some examples of distinctive Chilean slang include al tiro (right away), gallo/a (guy/gal), fome (boring), pololear (to go out as girlfriend/boyfriend),^[16] pelambre (gossip), pito (marijuana cigarette i.e. joint) poto (buttocks),^[17] quiltro (mutt) and chomba (knitted sweater)^[16] wea (thing; can be used for an object or situation). Another popular Chilean Spanish slang expression is poh, also spelled po', which is a term of emphasis of an idea, this is a monopthongized and aspirated form of pues. In addition, several words in Chilean Spanish are borrowed from neighboring Amerindian languages.

Argentine and Rioplatense influence

In Chilean Spanish there is lexical influence from Argentine dialects, which suggests a covert prestige. Lexical influences cut across the different social strata of Chile. Argentine summer tourism in Chile and Chilean tourism in Argentina provide a channel for influence on the speech of the upper class.^[20] The middle classes receive Argentine influence by watching football on cable television and Argentine programs on broadcast television.^[20] La Cuarta, a popular Chilean newspaper, regularly employs words and expressions from the lunfardo slang of the Buenos Aires region. Usually Chileans do not recognize the Argentine borrowings as such, claiming they are Chilean terms and expressions.^[20] The relation between Argentine dialects and Chilean Spanish is one of asymmetric permeability, with Chilean Spanish adopting sayings from Argentine variants but usually not the reverse.^[18]

Coa and Lunfardo expressions

• abacanado - presumptuous
• agarrados - being in a fight, mad
• amarrete - stingy, mean
• arrastre - influential
• avivarse - to realise
• bacán - awesome
• cana - jail
• chanchada - disloyal act
• echar la foca (lit. throw the seal/breath) - to severely address someone or express disapproval or disappointment
• emputecer - getting mad
• engrupir - to fool someone
• fiaca - laziness
• garúa - drizzle
• gil - fool
• hacer perro muerto (lit. do a dead dog) - to dine and dash or do something similar
• mina - woman
• vagoneta - loafer
• tira - undercover police
• yeta - originally 'bad luck' in Lunfardo, in Chile now means 'jinx' or someone who brings bad luck

Mapudungun loanwords

The Mapudungun language has left a relatively small number of words in Chilean Spanish, given its large geographic expanse. Many Mapudungun loans are names for plants, animals, and places. For example:^[25][20][21]

• cahuín^[28]: a rowdy gathering; also malicious or slanderous gossip.
• copihue: Lapageria rosea, Chile's national flower.
• culpeo: the culpeo, or Andean fox, Lycalopex culpaeus.
• luma - Amomyrtus luma, a native tree species known for its extremely hard wood; also a police baton (historically made from luma wood in Chile).
• chape: braid.
• guarén: the brown rat.
• laucha: mouse.
• roquín: lunch, picnic
• cuncuna: caterpillar.
• pichintún: pinch, or very small portion.
• pilucho: naked.
• piñén: dirt of the body.
• guata: belly.
• machi: female Mapuche shaman.
• colo colo: pampas cat, Leopardus colocola.
• curi: black, dark.
• curiche: dark-skinned person.
• charquicán: a popular stew dish.
• malón: military surprise attack; also, a party.
• paila: bowl.
• ulpo: non-alcoholic drink made of toasted flour and water or milk.
• yapa: something extra or for free; a lagniappe.
• pilcha: shabby suit of clothing.
• huila: shredded, ragged.
• merkén: smoked chili pepper.
• funa: a demonstration of public denunciation and repudiation against a person or group. Also to be bored or demotivated, demoralized.
• huifa: wiggle with elegance, sensuality, and grace; also, interjection to express joy.
• pichiruchi: tiny, despicable, or insignificant.
• pololo: Astylus trifasciatus, an orange-and-black-striped beetle native to Chile; also, boyfriend.
• quiltro: mongrel, or stray dog.

Quechua loanwords

The Quechua language is probably the Amerindian language that has given Chilean Spanish the largest number of loanwords. For example, the names of many American vegetables in Chilean Spanish are derived from Quechua names, rather than from Nahuatl or Taíno as in Standard Spanish. Some of the words of Quechua origin include:^[22]

• callampa: mushroom; also, penis (Quechua k'allampa^[23]).
• cancha: field, pitch, slope (ski), runway (aviation), running track, court (tennis, basketball)^[28] (Quechua kancha^[23]).
• chacra - a small farm^[28] (Quechua chakra)^[23]).
• chala: sandal.^[28]
• chasca: tassle; diminutive chasquilla: bangs (of hair).
• china: a female servant in a hacienda.^[28]
• choclo: maize/corn (Quechua chuqllu^[23]).
• chúcaro: spirited/wild, used traditionally by huasos to refer to a horse.
• chupalla: a traditional Chilean straw hat.^[28]
• chupe: soup/chowder (Quechua chupi^[23]).
• cocaví: snack/lunch or picnic (from coca).
• cochayuyo: Durvillaea antarctica, a species of kelp^[28] (Quechua qucha yuyu^[23]).
• guagua: child, baby (Quechua wawa,^[23]).
• guanaco: guanaco, Lama guanicoe, a native camelid mammal (Quechua wanaku^[23]).
• guasca: whip (Quechua waskha).
• huacho: an orphan or illegitimate child; also, as an adjective, lone or without a mate, as in a matchless sock.
• huaso: a country dweller and horseman.^[24]
• huincha: a strip of wool or cotton or a tape measure; also used for adhesive tape (Quechua wincha^[23]).
• humita: an Andean dish similar to the Mexican tamale (Quechua humint'a, jumint'a^[23][25]); also a bow tie.
• mate: an infusion made of yerba mate.
• mote: mote, a type of dried wheat (Quechua mut'i^[23]).
• palta: avocado.
• poroto: bean (Quechua purutu^[23]).
• yapa or llapa: lagniappe.
• zapallo: squash/pumpkin (Quechua sapallu^[23]).

French, German and English loanwords

There are some expressions of non-Hispanic European origin such as British, German or French. They came with the arrival of the European immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. There is also a certain influence from the mass media.

• bufé - piece of furniture, from French buffet.
• bistec or bisté - meat, from English 'beefsteak'.
• budín - pudding, from the English 'pudding
• cachái - you understand, you see; for example, ¿Cachái?, Did you understand?, Did you see?, Did you get?; form of cachar, from English 'catch'.
• chutear - to shoot, from English 'shoot'.
• clóset - closet, from English 'closet'.
• confort - toilet paper, from French confort; a brand name for toilet paper.^[26]
• guachimán - ship watchman, from English 'watchman'.
• hacer zaping - to change channel whilst watching TV, to channel surf, from English 'to zap'.
• jaibón - upper class, from English 'high born'.
• kuchen or cujen - A kind of fruit cake, from German Kuchen.
• lobear - to lobby, from English 'to lobby'.
• livin or living- living room, from English 'living room'.
• lumpen - lower class people, from German Lumpenproletariat.
• luquear - to look, from English 'to look'.
• marraqueta - a kind of bread, from French Marraquette, surname of the Frenchmen who invented it.
• panqueque - pancake, from English 'pancake'.
• overol - overall, from English 'overall'.
• short - short trousers, from English 'short trousers'.
• strudel or estrudel - dessert, from German Strudel, a typical German and Austrian dessert.
• vestón - jacket, from French veston.

Sample

Here is sample of a normal text in carefully spoken Latin American Spanish and the same text with a very relaxed pronunciation in informal lower-class Chilean Spanish:^[27]

See also

• Chile
• Languages of Chile
• Spanish language
• Spanish dialects and varieties
• Bello orthography
• The first-person narrative novel Tomáh Errázurih, an example of Chilean Spanish.
• Mapudungun
• Quechua languages

References

Bibliography

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External links

• {{es icon}} Diccionario de Modismos Chilenos - Comprehensive "Dictionary of Chilean Terms".
• Pepe's Chile Chilean Slang - basic list of Chilean slang/unique colloquialisms.
• Jergas de habla hispana Spanish dictionary specializing in slang and colloquial expressions, featuring all Spanish-speaking countries, including Chile.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071108210406/http://www.elcastellano.org/espachil.html Elcastellano.org]

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