# Cuban language. Why, when did Cubanos stop pronouncing the "s" at the end of a word? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuban-language-why-when-did-cubanos-stop-pronouncing-the-s-at-the-end-of-a-word/708550 "2014-12-30T17:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuban-language-why-when-did-cubanos-stop-pronouncing-the-s-at-the-end-of-a-word/708550/1 "2014-12-30T17:13:13Z")
The first few Cubanos I had a conversation with I had a difficult time understanding them. This was due to the custom of dropping the final “s”. Now, I have no problem understanding them. In written Cuban the “s” is present. Just not pronounced. My first thought was maybe the first Spanish governor of Cuba spoke in that manner. I recently heard on NPR that the custom started in the 1930’s as a cultural expression. What’s the Straight Dope? ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuban-language-why-when-did-cubanos-stop-pronouncing-the-s-at-the-end-of-a-word/708550/2 "2014-12-30T18:22:46Z")
It’s not a peculiarity of Cuba; it’s present in many varieties of Spanish/Castilian in Latin America and also in Spain, even though the degree to which the S is suppressed or omitted entirely varies. Because of this, I guess that it dates back to the time before the independence of Spain’s Latin American colonies. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuban-language-why-when-did-cubanos-stop-pronouncing-the-s-at-the-end-of-a-word/708550/3 "2014-12-30T18:59:49Z")
I believe Mexicans do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuban-language-why-when-did-cubanos-stop-pronouncing-the-s-at-the-end-of-a-word/708550/4 "2014-12-30T19:53:12Z")
I have heard from more than one source that “Cubans speak the ugliest Spanish on Earth.” No idea if it’s true, to any extent, but this dropped-s is part of at least one explanation I heard. It was described as kind of “marble-mouthed” and lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuban-language-why-when-did-cubanos-stop-pronouncing-the-s-at-the-end-of-a-word/708550/5 "2014-12-30T20:04:35Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I have heard from more than one source that “Cubans speak the ugliest Spanish on Earth.” No idea if it’s true, to any extent, but this dropped-s is part of at least one explanation I heard. It was described as kind of “marble-mouthed” and lazy. I don’t know if it’s true, either, but that’s pretty much the way a Venezuelan friend described Cuban Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuban-language-why-when-did-cubanos-stop-pronouncing-the-s-at-the-end-of-a-word/708550/6 "2014-12-30T20:20:27Z")
It’s called [Debuccalization of coda /s/](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_dialects_and_varieties#Debuccalization_of_coda_.2Fs.2F) and it’s not just Cuba.