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logo is an example of the Voseo form used in Nicaraguan media.]] Central America Spanish ( Dialect s spoken in the Central America n region. More precisely, the term refers to the Spanish language as spoken in Nicaragua , Honduras , El Salvador , as well as certain parts of Costa Rica and Guatemala . Despite the fact that Panama is geographically located in Central America, Panamanians speak a completely Caribbean-accented Spanish, more simmilar to that spoken in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. VARIATION While most vocabulary is common, each country has its variations, for instance, for "corner store" and "soft drink": In Guatemala , they are ''abarrotería'' and ''agua'' (water is ''agua pura''). In El Salvador , they are ''tienda'' and ''gaseosa''. In Honduras , they are ''pulpería'' or in the north ''trucha'' and ''fresco''. In Nicaragua , they are ''pulpería'' and ''gaseosa''. In Costa Rica , they are ''pulpería'' and ''gaseosa'' although they could also be ''Abastecedor'' and ''Refresco'' or ''Fresco''. PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY In Spanish, few words end in Plosives However, many such words are borrowed from English. In Central America, all such stops are usually pronounced like 'c's. The Costa Rican ice cream shop ''Pops'', with franchises in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua is pronounced by many people as ''Pocs''. ''Internet'' is sometimes pronounced ''Internec'', ''Laptop'' is pronounced ''lactoc'', and ''robót'' pronounced ''robóc''. This is sometimes extended to native Spanish words where such stops are found at the end of a syllable. For example, ''Aceptar'' is often pronounced ''Acectar''. Notice that such pronunciations are most common in people with low levels of schooling, as people in the middle and higher classes tend to be a bit more observant of standard pronunciation. Some other characteristics of Central American phonology include:
GRAMMAR The most common form for the second person singular in Central America is '' Vos ''. Its conjugation follows the pattern, (for “you have”) ''vos tenés'' instead of ''tú tienes'', or (for “you sing”) ''vos cantás'' instead of ''tú cantas''. The pronoun ''Usted'' is used when addressing older, unfamiliar or respected persons, as it is in all Spanish countries; however, in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras it is frequently used with younger persons. Some communities prefer to use ''Usted'' in most conversation, and to rarely use ''vos'' or ''tú'' at all. The pronouns ''tú'' and ''Usted'' are mainly used in writings and publications. It is also very common in Central America to use the word "tú" while keeping "vos" verb forms: tú cantás. LEXICON The vocabulary of Central America is very different from that of Mexico, but similar in many ways to that of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. For example, ''Redondel'' or ''Rotonda'' is a Roundabout . However, there are also many words unique to Central America. For example, ''Chunche'' or ''Chochadas'' means ''Thing'' or ''Stuff''. SEE ALSO
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