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I have a question about a very specific feature that is only found in certain dialects of Spanish. As far as I know, this feature is only used in dialects spoken around the Caribbean. I am not sure whether any linguists have written about this topic, but I am curious enough to design a very small pilot study about this feature. Will you please help me?

My question has to do with the -ico diminutive ending in Spanish. For example, in some dialects of Spanish "momentico" can be used to mean "a short moment". (Other dialects of Spanish would say "momentito".) If your dialect does not use "-ico" or "-ica" at all to make words, please don't answer this question.

I am curious to find out how the -ico ending combines with some words, but not others. Of the words in the following list, please tell me which words sound okay and not okay to you, and please tell me where you are from.
momentico
mesica
gatico
gotica
taquico
lorico
carica
torico

2006-07-03 09:53:04 · 17 answers · asked by drshorty 7 in Society & Culture Languages

I am not asking about the meaning of these words. I already know what they would mean, if they are allowable.
This is a phonology question.

And, the input from native speakers is the most helpful on a question like this.

2006-07-03 10:34:15 · update #1

17 answers

*****well im puerto rican *****
momentico is ok
mesica -is mesita
gatico-the most common way is gatito but gatico is ok too
gotica is from gota and gotica is wrong the correct way is gotita
the rest of the words are wrong too but it may be here in PR maybe in mexico or the dominican rep it may be correct

the correct forms are -
taquito , lorito, carita, and torito
-

2006-07-03 10:06:45 · answer #1 · answered by ItS mE !!! 2 · 0 0

If you're serious about the study of linguistics-and it seems that you are-you must already know that there is a whole host of dialectal phenomena that have no standardized principle, hence the reason they're dialects. Even in most standardized grammars there are exceptions, particularly when conjugating verbs, that have no rhyme or reason, it's simply how common use of the language evolved.

The best you'll get from native speakers is what you've already got on here: that it's okay to say this but not that. I don't think that you'll get any hard and fast reasoning because language seldom evolves that matter-of-factly. There are subtle nuances to language that cannot be explained. Native speakers simply know instinctively what to say and what not to say and non-native speakers usually do not, at least not without years of immersion and assimilation.

At any rate, have fun with your studies!

2006-07-12 11:04:48 · answer #2 · answered by elk312 5 · 0 0

you are referring to the right way to achieved and add, a diminutive to some Words, I think the perfect way its practice in Castellian, Spanish, and the ico, a/o ica, are just a way to express a more define form of the word in somecases, ito, ita, will be in Castellano, the way to do it. Mesa, Mesita, Gato, gatito, male cat, some words can not be diminutise any moreI think there is were the mess begin. sample the word Chico, (Small), you can say,
Chiquito, and even smaller will be Chiquitito, and not Chiquito, and Chiquitico, in Spanish-Castellano,
Gota, Gotita,
Taco, Taquito,
Loro, Lorito,
Cara, Carita,
Toro, Torito.
The ico a/o ica, can well be another form of Spanish but not from Castillian Spanish. perhaps, Catalan, Andalucia, etc.

2006-07-14 04:06:25 · answer #3 · answered by paradiseemperatorbluepinguin 5 · 0 0

I could not tell you at all because I use ito
But I culd tel you momentico, gatico, lorico, sound fine the others are like strange,
and in gotica is changes the menaing from gota that is a drop to gotica mmmm that is gothic female... well may be the others sound strange to me because ........... I dont use the ico or ica
well its interesting what you are doing go on...

And I am from Puerto Rico an island in the caribean we dont use ico or ica

2006-07-08 05:05:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

I believe that some words can't be pronounce with the ico or ica the correct spelling will end with ito or ita. Some cuban native are use to the ico or ica pronunciation...

2006-07-03 11:22:33 · answer #5 · answered by catracha360 1 · 0 0

Hey Drs,

Jorge is right about the use of the ico-diminutive in Spain. In the region called Aragón, of which Zaragoza is the capital, ico is used as frequently as ito in informal language. This in contrary to other parts of Spain where it's not used normally (and certainly in Andalusia or Catalunya).

Later, Ramón

2006-07-14 06:49:04 · answer #6 · answered by rapym 1 · 0 0

With the exception of probably "taquico" and "carica," you can find some places in Cuba, Costa Rica and a few other countries where they'd accept all the other "-ico" endings. In the Caribbean the "-ico" endings definitely originated in Cuba.

2006-07-03 10:16:10 · answer #7 · answered by JAT 6 · 0 0

Well I explain you, I´m from Spain and in my country are a lot of different accents and we say ico or ito or illo and a lot of sufixises, but it doesn't have explanations, the only explanation is th zone where somebody live, for example in Zaragoza the north west of Spain they use a lot of ico and we call them MAÑICOS. This diferences about sufixes is only a consequence about the diversity of the spanish.
sorry if you don't understand me my english is very poor

2006-07-03 14:16:15 · answer #8 · answered by J 2 · 0 0

Well, I am not a native speaker, but I studied Spanish in Costa Rica - it's a CR thing. They use the tico ending because they call themselves ticos - short for "hermaniticos." As far as I know, they're the only ones that use it.

2006-07-03 10:09:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Ohh, that's easy.
Words ending with ico ica, or tico, tica, is reffering to something big or small.
For example: Un momento is one moment.
Un momentico is one little moment.


Get it?
Good luck :DD

2006-07-03 09:59:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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