The unmistakable sound of Cali and the myth of the aspirated 'S'
If you have ever been to a party in Cali, you will have noticed something strange: the people from Cali do not pronounce the 'S' at the end of words. "Vamo' a bailá'", "eso e' sabroso", "qué bonita' esa' mujere'". It is not laziness or poor diction. It is a mark of identity so deep that it ended up shaping the salsa that is sung and danced here. The aspirated 'S', that sound that becomes a soft 'h' or disappears completely, is not just a feature of popular speech. It is the secret ingredient that gave salsa from Cali its particular flow, its unique cadence that no other city in the world has been able to replicate.
By May 2026, when a tourist arrives at Calle 5ta or the Obrero neighborhood and hears "esa e' la que e'", they are not hearing a grammatical error. They are hearing centuries of phonetic history condensed into a timbale rhythm. Music lovers know that the salsa from Cali does not sound the same as that from New York or Puerto Rico, and it is not just because of the musical arrangements. It is because of the way Caleño singers, consciously or unconsciously, adapted their way of speaking to the genre.
📌 Transparency
This article contains sponsored/affiliate links. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Origins
The African and coastal heritage in Caleño speech
To understand why people from Cali drop their 'S's, you have to go back to the 16th century. Cali was a point of arrival for African slaves brought to work in the mines of Chocó and on the haciendas of the Valle del Cauca. African languages, such as Kikongo or Mandinga, had phonetic systems where final consonants were rare or non-existent. When the slaves learned Spanish, they adapted the language to their ear. The final 'S', which in Peninsular Spanish is pronounced strongly and with a hiss, became an aspirated or eliminated sound.
But it was not only Africa that influenced it. The Colombian Pacific coast, from Buenaventura to Tumaco, has a way of speaking where the 'S' almost completely disappears. Throughout the 20th century, thousands of people from the coast migrated to Cali looking for work in the port or in industry. They brought with them their way of speaking, their music (currulao, bunde) and their way of singing. When salsa arrived in Cali in the 40s and 50s, it found fertile ground: a city that already had an ear trained for syncopated rhythms and a phonetics that favored open syllables and soft endings.
The first Caleño salseros, like those from the orchestra Fruko y sus Tesos, began to sing with that accent. It was not a conscious decision. It was natural. By aspirating the 'S', the word lost weight at the end and gained fluidity. In a salsa song, where every syllable counts in the beat, that aspirated 'S' allowed the singer to syncopate better, to breathe at the exact moment, to let the sound flow without abrupt cuts.
Phonetics as a rhythmic tool
In linguistics, this is called "lenition": the weakening of a consonant sound. In Cali, the aspirated 'S' is not just a dialectal variant. It is a musical tool. When a singer says "vení pa'ca" instead of "ven para acá", they are eliminating two complete syllables. In a genre where rhythm is king, being able to compress phrases is an advantage. Salsa from Cali, unlike the hard salsa of New York, tends to be faster in dance tempo. The aspirated 'S' helps maintain that speed without stumbling over words.
Furthermore, the aspiration of the 'S' creates an effect of sonic continuity. Instead of a dry cut (as in "más"), you hear a soft sigh ("máh") that blends with the next word. This generates a more connected phrasing, almost as if the singer were humming more than pronouncing. That quality is what dancers describe as "sabor" or "Caleño swing". It is not just how the feet move; it is how the voice sounds.
Timeline or historical milestones
1940-1960: The planting
The first salsa records that arrived in Cali came from Cuba and Puerto Rico. The people from Cali listened to them and imitated them, but with their own accent. On radio stations like Radio Nacional de Colombia or La Voz de Cali, the announcers already aspirated their 'S's. The first local orchestras, like Los Diplomáticos or Sonora Dinamita, began to record with singers who pronounced as they spoke. There was no phonetic correction. The sound was what it was.
1970-1980: The explosion
With the arrival of Fania salsa and the boom of Colombian orchestras, Cali consolidated itself as the world capital of salsa. Groups like Grupo Niche, which formed in Cali in 1979, took the Caleño accent around the world. Songs like "Cali Pachanguero" or "Una Aventura" have clear examples of 'S' aspiration. In "Cali Pachanguero", the phrase "Cali e' Cali, lo demás e' loma" is almost a phonetic anthem. The 'S' in "es" disappears completely, and the one in "loma" is not even mentioned. That is no coincidence. It is the city's trademark.
1990-2010: Internationalization
When salsa from Cali began to be heard in Japan, Europe, and the United States, foreigners noticed something strange: Colombian singers did not pronounce the same as Puerto Ricans or Cubans. Some music critics said it was "badly spoken Spanish". The people from Cali responded with more songs. Artists like Jairo Varela (founder of Grupo Niche) defended the accent as part of their identity. "We sing as we speak," he said. That became a seal of authenticity.
2010-2026: Linguistic reclamation
In recent years, linguists and musicologists have begun to study this phenomenon. The Universidad del Valle has published research on the relationship between Caleño phonetics and musical production. Today, in 2026, the aspirated 'S' is no longer seen as a defect, but as a technical characteristic that defines a style. Even singers from other countries, when recording with musicians from Cali, try to imitate the accent to sound more authentic in the genre.
Key figures or events
Jairo Varela: The theorist of the accent
The founder of Grupo Niche was not only a brilliant composer. He was a fierce defender of Caleño speech. In interviews, he explained that the aspirated 'S' was not ignorance, but heritage. In his lyrics, he used phrases like "eso e' así" or "vení pa'cá" without complexes. His song "Cali Aji" is a manual of Caleño phonetics: each verse is constructed so that the 'S' disappears and the rhythm flows.
Alberto Barros: The titan who recorded with an accent
The singer and producer Alberto Barros, although born in Barranquilla, adopted the Caleño accent after living years in Cali. In his recordings with the group Los Titanes, you can notice how the 'S' becomes softer over time. His version of "Por Retenerte" is a perfect example of how phonetics can change the emotionality of a song.
The 80s generation: Those who took the sound to the world
Orchestras like Guayacán Orquesta, Son de Cali, or La Misma Gente recorded albums that sold across the continent. In all of them, the Caleño accent is present. The singer of Guayacán, Alexis Lozano, is known for his clear diction but with that characteristic aspirated 'S'. Songs like "Oiga, Mire, Vea" have phrases where the final 'S' becomes a sigh that marks the beat.
The fun fact: The 'S' in the sound of the maracas
Few know that the aspiration of the 'S' even influenced percussion. The maraca players from Cali, when playing, sometimes whistle or aspirate in rhythm with the maracas. That "ssshhh" sound heard in salsa recordings from Cali is not a microphone error. It is an instrumental imitation of the aspirated 'S'. The percussionist is reproducing with their instrument what the singer does with their voice.
Current status
The aspirated 'S' in contemporary salsa
Today, in May 2026, salsa from Cali is still alive and the aspirated 'S' is more relevant than ever. New generations of singers, like those from the orchestra La 33 or the group Cali Flow, maintain the accent as a mark of authenticity. At festivals like the Festival Mundial de Salsa de Cali, held every year in September, judges evaluate not only the dance but also the pronunciation. A singer who does not aspirate their 'S's sounds "foreign" to local ears.
However, there is a debate. Some purists say that the aspirated 'S' is being lost among young people, influenced by reggaeton and urban music, where pronunciation is more neutral. Others argue that, on the contrary, globalization has caused the Caleño accent to be revalued. On platforms like Spotify, playlists of "Salsa Caleña Auténtica" highlight songs where the local phonetics are noticeable.
Where to hear it live today
If you want to experience the aspirated 'S' in its natural habitat, there are places in Cali that are temples of this sound. La Zaperoco, in the San Antonio neighborhood (Calle 5 # 13-35), is a nightclub where local orchestras play live. On weekends, from 8pm to 3am, you can hear singers who pronounce "eso e' sabroso" with complete naturalness. Tickets cost around $20,000 COP (reference prices for May 2026). El Tin Tin Deo, at Avenida 4 Norte # 20-15, is another classic. There, musicians improvise and the aspirated 'S' becomes part of the show. They are open Thursday to Sunday, 7pm-2am, with cover charges from $15,000 COP.
For a more intimate experience, Bar La Matraca, at Calle 9 with Carrera 23, offers old-school salsa. The owners are music lovers who can explain the history of each song. Prices are popular: beers from $4,000 COP. It is recommended to check hours before visiting, because sometimes they close early if there is no audience.
The future of the sound
Musical linguistics continues to evolve. At the Universidad del Valle, Professor Carlos Mina, an expert in Afro-Colombian phonetics, leads a research project on how the aspirated 'S' affects the perception of rhythm in salsa. Preliminary results, published in 2025, suggest that Caleño listeners are more sensitive to minimal tempo variations when the 'S' is present. That is, the accent is not only cultural, but physiological: the Caleño brain processes rhythm differently because of the way words are pronounced.
For the cultural tourist, understanding this detail is like having a secret key. When you hear "Cali e' Cali", you will not only hear a song. You will hear centuries of history, migration, resistance, and creativity. The aspirated 'S' is not a mistake. It is the sonic signature of a city that dances even when it speaks.
Explore more about musical phonetics on our podcast 'Ritmo y Palabra', where each month we analyze how language transforms music in Colombia. Listen at malokal.com/podcast.