The language is spoken differently from east to west. The eastern part of the island had large plantations where many African slaves worked during the 18th and 19th centuries. Therefore, the east has a stronger influence from African languages (such as Yoruba and Kikongo) than the west. It is closer to Dominican Spanish than to the Spanish spoken in the western part of the island. The Haitian Creole language influenced the eastern Cuban culture after the Haitian Revolution. Some words of the eastern dialect can be traced back to Haitian Creole words used every day locally. Some Cubans can still speak Haitian Creole.