by Pat Werner
For many English speakers, the Spanish language of Nicaragua is a rich cacophony of a regional dialect that is little like textbook Spanish and quite different from Mexican Spanish; a dialect that contains many slang words common only to Nicaragua and unlike the slang of Costa Rica or Honduras. Even for some Spanish speakers, the arcane use of 17th century verb forms and pronouns can take a little getting used to.
What makes things more interesting is that imbedded in spoken Nicaraguan Spanish are words that are remnants from ancient languages spoken in Nicaragua when the Spaniards came barreling through western Nicaragua in the early 16th century. Words like caite, piche, and chompipe, for example, are not found in any dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, but they are alive and well used in Nicaragua.
