Founded in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on October 12, 1927, it works side by side with the Spanish Royal Academy in its mission to include all regional expressions of the pan-Hispanic community in order to give uniformity to the language spoken in so many parts of the world , each with its own history and cultural traditions.
Some scholars
Bruno Rosario Candelier: this philologist, essayist and literary critic, heads the Dominican Language Academy and is a member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language. He directed the cultural supplement Coloquio of the newspaper El Siglo. In 1990 he founded the Ateneo Insular. He has received the following awards: International Award of the Institute of Hispanic Culture, Siboney Essay Award, National Essay Award, Gold Caonabo (1999), National Literature Prize 2008 and was selected as the Cultural Personality of 2002 in the Dominican Republic. He served as undersecretary of State for Culture and Education, a university professor for over three decades as well as Director General of Fine Arts.
Mariano Lebron Saviñón: this writer and physician directed the hospital of social prevention of Santo Domingo and worked in the Ministry of Health, was Director of Publications of the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña and Professor of Medicine at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, founded the group Surprised Poetry of the Dominican Academy of Medicine and the Duarte Institute. He is the author of the book History of Dominican Culture, a great legacy to humanity. He has received the following awards: Order of Duarte, Sanchez and Mella in the rank of Commander, Gold Caonabo in 1988 and National Literature Prize (1999).
Some Dominicanisms
abulencia. Falsehood, invention, speculation.
apendejar. Act foolish, stupid.
bachata. Dominican popular song.
cacao. pedir cacao. Ask for forgiveness.
camarón, -na. Skillful and clever person.
changüí. dar changüí. Do something to generate envy.
embullo. Affair.
fría. Beer.
gando, -da. Glutton.
hato. Field for raising all kinds of livestock, mainly large.
indio, -a. caer de indio. Naively fall fall for a trick.
jaiba. Smart, crafty person.
lija. dar lija. Flattery, to flatter.
maleza. Ailment (mild illness).
pariguayo, -ya. A person who makes a fool of him or herself for not rising to the occasion.
recordar. Awaken (stop sleeping).
sal. Bad luck, misfortune.
sato, -ta. Funny, kind, nice.
tercio, –cia. Companion on a trip or any other activity.
totumpote. Influential person, powerful and rich.
unjú. Used to express agreement.
vale. Rustic person or someone of rural origin.
volador, -ra. Gay man.
yarey. Curly hair.
zanquear. To look for something or someone.
(versión en español: Academia Dominicana de la Lengua)
