SANTO DOMINGO. -The Casa del Cordón Taíno Cultural Center, an initiative of Banco Popular Dominicano, held the discussion “How much Taíno do we speak? Taíno words in Dominican Spanish,” an event that highlighted the continued presence of the Taíno language in everyday Spanish vocabulary and its impact on the cultural identity of the country and the region.
The meeting included the participation of María José Rincón, philologist and lexicographer, and María Teresa Catrain, historian, who spoke with the center's external advisor, Mr. José Enrique Delmonte, who served as moderator of the talk.
The initiative was aimed at the general public and fostered interest in the linguistic and cultural richness of the Dominican Republic and the influence that Taíno words had on the Spanish we speak today.
At this meeting, attendees were invited to explore the cultural center's permanent collection, comprised of more than 350 archaeological pieces, donated by the García Arévalo Foundation, as well as the information on the Taíno heritage displayed here.
Mateo Morrison, Carmen Rita Cordero, Mayra Johnson, Ángel Gil Orrios and José Enrique Delmonte. (EXTERNAL SOURCE).
From the past to the present, through language
Canoe, hut, barbecue, cannibal, shark, corn, hurricane are some of the words that the Taíno people bequeathed to Spanish, whose origin was referred to in the discussion.
As discussed, the Taíno were the first inhabitants of the American continent to come into contact with Europeans, leading to a process of assimilation of their techniques and knowledge by the latter.
As part of this exchange, numerous indigenous words were adopted that were not only incorporated into the Spanish language, but have also achieved widespread acceptance in other languages.
In this sense, the word canoe was already included in the first dictionary of the language, prepared by Antonio de Nebrija, in 1494-1495.
This linguistic phenomenon not only enriched the Spanish spoken at the time, but also established a bridge between two worlds, reflecting the cultural syncretism that characterized the territory of the island of Hispaniola and the region.
