Pragmatic forces in the evolution of voseo object pronouns from os to te in colonial Spanish
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Ana Maria Diaz Collazos
Abstract
Vos is a singular/plural second person pronoun in medieval Spanish. In object positions, vos evolves to os during the 15th century (Rini 1992). In the singular, the expansion of te at the expense of os in Colonial Spanish derives from the morphological leveling with the singular tú paradigm (Fontanella de Weinberg, 1977). Using tools from discourse analysis and pragmatics, this research analyzes 554 cases of voseo objects from different Hispanic regions (1500–1898), expanding on findings by Díaz Collazos (2015) on Colombian Spanish. Results suggest that te is introduced by 1568 in voseo contexts as a strategy of softening the commanding force in directive speech acts, a pragmatic advantage leading to the gradual extinction of os in the 18th century.
Abstract
Vos is a singular/plural second person pronoun in medieval Spanish. In object positions, vos evolves to os during the 15th century (Rini 1992). In the singular, the expansion of te at the expense of os in Colonial Spanish derives from the morphological leveling with the singular tú paradigm (Fontanella de Weinberg, 1977). Using tools from discourse analysis and pragmatics, this research analyzes 554 cases of voseo objects from different Hispanic regions (1500–1898), expanding on findings by Díaz Collazos (2015) on Colombian Spanish. Results suggest that te is introduced by 1568 in voseo contexts as a strategy of softening the commanding force in directive speech acts, a pragmatic advantage leading to the gradual extinction of os in the 18th century.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Introduction 1
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Section I: Diachronic change and regional variation
- Voseo and tuteo , the countryside and the city 15
- Pragmatic forces in the evolution of voseo object pronouns from os to te in colonial Spanish 35
- Second person forms of address in New Mexican Spanish, 1687–1936 63
- Sociolinguistic variation and change in Chilean voseo 87
- Forms of address in historical and geographical context 119
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Section II: Pragmatics and dialect contact
- Pragmatic variation in voseo and tuteo negative commands in Argentinian Spanish 127
- Second person singular forms in Cali Colombian Spanish 149
- ¿De dónde sos? 171
- Use and perception of the pronominal trio vos , tú , usted in a Nicaraguan community in Miami, Florida* 197
- Second person forms in social context 233
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Section III: Forms of address, attitudes and identity
- The changing system of Costa Rican pronouns of address 243
- Reconceptualizing identity and context in the deployment of forms of address 267
- Making the case for increased prestige of the vernacular 289
- “Fijáte…sabes que le digo yo” 305
- Forms of address and community identity 325
- Conclusion 335
- Index 341
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Introduction 1
-
Section I: Diachronic change and regional variation
- Voseo and tuteo , the countryside and the city 15
- Pragmatic forces in the evolution of voseo object pronouns from os to te in colonial Spanish 35
- Second person forms of address in New Mexican Spanish, 1687–1936 63
- Sociolinguistic variation and change in Chilean voseo 87
- Forms of address in historical and geographical context 119
-
Section II: Pragmatics and dialect contact
- Pragmatic variation in voseo and tuteo negative commands in Argentinian Spanish 127
- Second person singular forms in Cali Colombian Spanish 149
- ¿De dónde sos? 171
- Use and perception of the pronominal trio vos , tú , usted in a Nicaraguan community in Miami, Florida* 197
- Second person forms in social context 233
-
Section III: Forms of address, attitudes and identity
- The changing system of Costa Rican pronouns of address 243
- Reconceptualizing identity and context in the deployment of forms of address 267
- Making the case for increased prestige of the vernacular 289
- “Fijáte…sabes que le digo yo” 305
- Forms of address and community identity 325
- Conclusion 335
- Index 341
