Comments - How the Irish Arrived in Puerto Rico - The Wild Geese2024-03-29T15:04:40Zhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/comment/feed?attachedTo=6442157%3ABlogPost%3A221880&xn_auth=noMy grandfather on my mother's…tag:thewildgeese.irish,2017-10-04:6442157:Comment:2230532017-10-04T17:48:20.756ZSteve O'Neillhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/SteveONeill
<p>My grandfather on my mother's side was Puerto Rican, last name Berenguer. I had an assignment there in 1979. After learning Castilian Spanish in school, at my first meeting I had a tough time understanding anything that was said, since the Puerto Rican Spanish is very colloquial (I characterize it as AK-47 Spanish). I finally spoke up and told the folks that my grandfather was Puerto Rican, but I was having a hell of a time understanding them. One of the guys said that yes, they have a lot…</p>
<p>My grandfather on my mother's side was Puerto Rican, last name Berenguer. I had an assignment there in 1979. After learning Castilian Spanish in school, at my first meeting I had a tough time understanding anything that was said, since the Puerto Rican Spanish is very colloquial (I characterize it as AK-47 Spanish). I finally spoke up and told the folks that my grandfather was Puerto Rican, but I was having a hell of a time understanding them. One of the guys said that yes, they have a lot of O'Neills in Puerto Rico. When I said his name was Berenguer, they said they had not heard of that one. When I went back to my hotel and pulled out the San Juan phone book, sure enough, there were about 30 O'Neills listed, but not a single Berenguer!</p>