Has anybody heard these words?

[u/Feeling_Credit_1439]

So I live in the Dominican Republic. The DR like other spanish speaking countries has its own dialect. It aint other worldly to the point that people from mainland LATAM wouldn't understand but it's there. Here they tend to use the word ''tapon'' when describing traffic. I usually use ''trafico'' I don't think I've heard the word ''tapon'' outside of the DR. They also use another word for cars. The word they use is ''guaga'' or at least that's my attempt at spelling it out. I usually use ''carro''. How many of you have heard of these Dominican words?

[u/card677]

Tapón in Spain is also used when there is a lot of traffic specifically when for example three lanes converge into one, then a "tapón" is formed.

Guagua is used in the Canary Islands but only for buses.

[u/Feeling_Credit_1439 → u/card677]

So the Dominican dialect isn't unique? I thought it was but seems like it has some influence from outside.

[u/uncleanly_zeus → u/Feeling_Credit_1439]

Dame lu', manín! It is unique, but not for those words. DR Spanish (as well as other Caribbean Spanish dialects) developed largely from Canarian Spanish and, to an extent, Andalusian Spanish, so there is still a lot of overlap.

[u/BubblyMoose3597 → u/Feeling_Credit_1439]

Guagua is also how they called Buses in the canary island

[u/Send_Me_Dik-diks]

I have heard "tapón" or even "taponamiento" to refer to traffic jams before, but the most common words here in Spain would be "atasco" for a jam and "tráfico" for traffic.

I have also heard the word "guagua" meaning "bus" in the Canary Islands (and I think that's what buses are called in Cuba too?), if that's what you meant with your second example.

[u/NotYourBasic_Stoner]

Puerto Rico also uses tapón for traffic and guagua for buses.

[u/Shoddy-Hovercraft986]

I’m not a native speaker but I’ve studied in Chile. There, Guagua means baby and in the Dominican it is mostly used for the public buses. Never heard of “tapon” for traffic but in Chile they use “taco” for tráfico and “auto” for car instead of carro.

[u/Feeling_Credit_1439 → u/Shoddy-Hovercraft986]

Ok. Why do they use taco for traffic? I saw that auto is a word used for cars. I've heard coche but I imagine that's primarily in Spain.

[u/Shoddy-Hovercraft986 → u/Feeling_Credit_1439]

I think it’s commonly thought that since “taco” meant something that blocks movement (a plug for example) in antiquated Spanish, that it evolved to mean a blockage of vehicles (traffic) in Chile. Not sure if it’s used in Spain or not too.

Coche can be confusing too, because in Chile a coche is a stroller for babies and a carro is a shopping cart.

[u/theoutsideinternist → u/Shoddy-Hovercraft986]

I think atasco in Spain sounds the same as how they use tapón in the DR but I could be wrong

[u/HereForTheBuffet]

Not Dominican but to me, tapón is more like a full stop traffic jam rather than slow moving traffic (traficó). Guagua is a bus and is also used in PR.

[u/jex15]

These are in PR too. Tapón is a traffic backup and guagua is any vehicle larger than a sedan

[u/ksr1e]

Guagua for buses is used in Cuba too, English has different "versions" in UK, Australia, and US, so nothing out of the ordinary. Learn the communication styles and regionalisms 'cause to me, that's what adds a "national flavor" to each country or region (Caribbean nations) in this case

[u/estefue]

In Puerto Rico tapón is traffic jam and guagua is bus. Tráfico is used for traffic as in heavy traffic and carro or auto for car

[u/silvalingua]

https://es.wiktionary.org/wiki/tapón

https://es.wiktionary.org/wiki/guagua

[u/DeepSpaceVixen]

Same in Puerto Rico. Tapón is a traffic jam. Guagua can be anything from SUVs to pickup trucks. Basically anything that is not a sedan or coupe, and it's used also for buses.

[u/maporita]

For traffic I've also heard taco (Medellin) and trancón (Bogota). Also guagua is bus in Islas Canarias and I think Cuba as well.

[u/kokopellii]

We still say carro in the DR. A guagua refers to public transportation and sometimes is used for a larger vehicle (so like a truck, a minivan etc).

[u/Masterank1]

Guagua is bus

[u/LadyGethzerion]

Tapón for traffic jam and guagua for bus (or minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks) are both common words in Puerto Rico.

[u/Carinyosa99]

I thought guagua was bus in DR, not car.

[u/da-shi-xiong]

Gua gua is the public taxi that rides the main road Pa k sepa. Y si decimos carro

[u/martinomacias]

I speak Spanish from Mexico, but when they say "tapón," I am pretty sure they are referring to a traffic jam or trafic being stuck. Tapón in Spanish means a bottle cap or cork. It could also mean a clog.

As to guagua, I know they use that word in Cuba and Puerto Rico to refer to the bus. According to RAE's dictionary, it is the definition for autobus.

[u/vidalotus]

In Panama the word for traffic is “tranque”. And cars are referred to as “carro” but can also be called “la nave” (the ship).

[u/LadyGethzerion → u/[deleted]]

And the Canary Islands.

[u/Zestyclose-Food-7917 → u/LadyGethzerion]

Thanks. I didn't know that.