Second person forms of address in New Mexican Spanish, 1687–1936
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Israel Sanz-Sánchez
Abstract
This study is a diachronic analysis of second person address systems in New Mexican Spanish. The data come from 325 private letters written between 1687 and 1936. The investigation identified several patterns of use involving mostly vuestra merced, vuestra señoría, usted and tú. It shows that usted and tú were already in full currency in the spoken colonial dialect. In addition, the distribution of forms in this corpus illustrates the connection between language use and social change, which becomes particularly evident starting in the early 19th century. These findings confirm that the local use of forms of address in different periods encoded varying degrees of power, solidarity and social distance, and was shaped by the immediate sociocultural environment of the speakers.
Abstract
This study is a diachronic analysis of second person address systems in New Mexican Spanish. The data come from 325 private letters written between 1687 and 1936. The investigation identified several patterns of use involving mostly vuestra merced, vuestra señoría, usted and tú. It shows that usted and tú were already in full currency in the spoken colonial dialect. In addition, the distribution of forms in this corpus illustrates the connection between language use and social change, which becomes particularly evident starting in the early 19th century. These findings confirm that the local use of forms of address in different periods encoded varying degrees of power, solidarity and social distance, and was shaped by the immediate sociocultural environment of the speakers.
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
