“Fijáte…sabes que le digo yo”
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Michael R. Woods
Abstract
This study investigates voseo and tuteo among Salvadorans residing in Oregon and examines whether tuteo increases as a result of contact with Hispanics of Mexican descent. Analyses of 404 tokens of 2sg verbs taken from natural conversations indicated clear preferences depending on social networks. Salvadoran-oriented Salvadorans mostly relied on voseo, while Mexican-oriented Salvadorans almost exclusively employed tuteo. While we found little intra-speaker variation, voseantes’ tokens of tuteo primarily occurred in contexts of reported speech, indicating that, for voseantes, tuteo signals ‘otherness’. We predicted that, among the tuteantes, voseo would linger in set phrases, such as fijáte. This prediction was not borne out, suggesting that fixed expressions index speakers’ identification with the community of their choice rather than national origin.
Abstract
This study investigates voseo and tuteo among Salvadorans residing in Oregon and examines whether tuteo increases as a result of contact with Hispanics of Mexican descent. Analyses of 404 tokens of 2sg verbs taken from natural conversations indicated clear preferences depending on social networks. Salvadoran-oriented Salvadorans mostly relied on voseo, while Mexican-oriented Salvadorans almost exclusively employed tuteo. While we found little intra-speaker variation, voseantes’ tokens of tuteo primarily occurred in contexts of reported speech, indicating that, for voseantes, tuteo signals ‘otherness’. We predicted that, among the tuteantes, voseo would linger in set phrases, such as fijáte. This prediction was not borne out, suggesting that fixed expressions index speakers’ identification with the community of their choice rather than national origin.
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
