Do Mexicans ever drop their S's?

Question

I've been reading a bit about this lately, and everything I can find says that dropping the final s is a Caribbean thing, and that Mexican's don't do it. What's confusing me is that I was in Mexico several months ago and I could swear I heard people doing it. For example, several people said to me, "Buena noche" instead of "Buenas noches." I also heard a little boy pronounce "mariposita" like "maripohita." Is it just that my Spanish ear is not well trained yet, and I misheard something, or are there places in Mexico where people do this? By the way, I was in Tapachula, which close to Guatamala, if that makes a difference.

Answer 1

If you were in the south, there is a good chance that you heard a regional accent that was softer on the S. Near Veracruz and the Yucatan the people sometimes have a little bit of the Carribean accent you are talking about. But as you move farther north this becomes less popular and the S's are pronounced more clearly. But overall Mexico is a giant country and throughout the entire place you will come across many different accents depending on the region you are residing. I hope that helps .

If it's a southern dialect that explains a lot because Tapachula is about as far south as you can get without going into Guatamala. However, it's on the west coast, not the east, which would not explain any possible Carribean influence. - jcribbs, Mar 15, 2012

Answer 2

i totally agre with pjballa

Answer 3

Yes they do. I cannot tell you if it is a regional thing but it is done in Baja California Sur but not by everyone. So I don't know if those who do so are from that region or another.