Lemba previously said:

LOL, no mamajuana would have been great. However these i have collected very randomly, because my grandmother says them when she feels them appropiate. There are words in spanish that don't describe the exact state, so perhaps these African words, as most of them are clearly Bantu, would maybe have more specific descriptions. I agree that most of these words are not country wide, or even region or even city wide. I acknowledge that some parts of my family do have some linguistic peculiarities that are perhaps from maroon heritage. I have mentioned alot of these words and most Dominicans don't know about it, but some i have heard across regions. I met a friend from Villa Altagracia which is bordering San Cristobal province and Bonao, and she had heard of the word Lembota, and it means the same exact thing there. Also in the smaller towns of the duarte province i have heard people use some of these words, the older people. For example one of myr cousins grandmothers in pimentel is named Monga, and its not because she's a "mongolica" as dominican-americans use it, LOL. But because she has as slight limp to her walk.

I got a new word today my grandmother telling me to throw out somethigns said "Vete a bajai eso Korotoh'" Accent on the last O. For some time as a kid i thought some of my grandmas speech was just made up, i grew up thinking it was just stuff she'd make up. But then i did some research, turns out most of these words are clearly African as they show up as town names, some of them are also in context with some bantu languages.

Again i am not saying all Cibaenyos speak liek this, but perhaps in pred. black parts of the cibao, or in Maroon villages in the Cibao, or across the island there where Dominicans using these terms. Perhaps my grandmothers words are a renmant of one time when there was some sort of creole in the mountains.

Same happens with some Families that are very Taino genetically and culturally as in the case of Baracutey whose family uses some Taino words that are not in common use by the average Dominican.

But then u'd hav to ask yourself, wouldn't some of these isolted communities be good representatives of a much older contiuum of culture.

Interesting that one of the posters here mentioned that pred. black town because there was plantatoins there, these cases are very common in some parts and in some parts not. I happen to be from a part where not only was there slavery but heavy maroonage, the River Yuna which divides Cotui and Duarte province had Maroons, La Vega area had maroons and Samana/Nagua had Maroons.

mirabal4ever previously said:

"When there is no call and response in Merengue, and its sung in spanish form",

Glad you recognized that fact. Although the call and response is no doubt of African origen many of the accordian rifts have Spanish melodies to a degree. Good points nontheless.

Lemba previously said:



Yes the melodies in the accordion have spanish/european styles to it. The dancing also has an interesting mix. Merengue dancing has very obvous European/Spanish ballroom qualities because the couples touch, and they go side to side at times. But the knee dropping hip movement is definetly African. For the most part African music is danced without touching. Despite all the hyper-sexuality that people envision of African music. It is true that there is strong hip gyrations and pelvic thrust but this all happens without the couples touching. Most Palo in D.R is without touching, while merengue obviously reqires touch. However there are forms of Palo that are danced JUST like merengue, specficailly one from la Linea called "Jerapega" and no one relaly knows which one cam first, the jerapega or the merengue danceform. In the east, in places like Hato Mayor they also dance Palo as if it was merengue.

I think Vallenato in colombia is similar to mernegue, in its blend of cultures and musical instruments.

mirabal4ever previously said:


I find Vallenato very simular to Merengue Tipico.

mirabal4ever previously said:


I find Vallenato very simular to Merengue Tipico.