Question about Puerto Rican Spanish 'Bomba De Gasolina' (Gas Station)?

Question

It seems that 'gasolinera' is becoming the more common word for "gas station / filling station" in Spanish speaking countries. Yet, a book on Puerto Rican Spanish I once read published in 1964 lists 'bomba' for Colombia and 'bomba de gasolina' for Puerto Rico. 'Bomba' can also mean "pump" in Spanish. I was wondering how often the word (bomba de gasolina) is still used by Puerto Ricans? Is it considered just slang? Nowadays, I see Puerto Rican writers and bloggers on the Internet using 'gasolinera' or 'estación de servicio' almost exclusively. Thanks for any help and information. Really appreciate it!

Answer 1

I'm from South America
The word "gasolinera" has gradually replaced the expression "bomba de gasolina", But the last is still used in most South American Countries.

Answer 2

languages develop based on usages. slang is nothing more than uses of language to communicate similar ideas with less verbiage. english is the same. slang terms take the place of "proper" english to say the same thing. and slang, unlike formal language, may mean different things in different locales. only native speakers of a language can use and understand the slang used in their native language, though non-native speakers will use the more formal words to mean the same thing as a slang term. as a language, spanish is fairly simple, but english is the most complex language because it uses words from all other languages to say similar things but with many different connotations of meaning.