Chapter 1. Between vos and usted
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Karen López Alonzo
Abstract
This chapter examines how Nicaraguan Spanish speakers alternate between vos and usted to index power negotiations in (a)symmetric exchanges during a baseball practice. The variation in pronominal exchanges shows directionalities: certain pronoun usage can mitigate, demonstrate solidarity, or empower commands. I research (1) the direction (voseo/ustedeo) of mitigation of the message, (2) the relationship (symmetric/asymmetric) of alternation between vos and usted, and (3) how uses of ustedeo are redefined from established definitions of “formality.” This study has a pragmatic focus based on courtesy theory. Vos and usted alternated actively, offering innovative practices as acts of power. Speakers use polite alternatives when familiarity and affect are negotiated through the use of voseo or ustedeo as a pragmatic value of the request.
Abstract
This chapter examines how Nicaraguan Spanish speakers alternate between vos and usted to index power negotiations in (a)symmetric exchanges during a baseball practice. The variation in pronominal exchanges shows directionalities: certain pronoun usage can mitigate, demonstrate solidarity, or empower commands. I research (1) the direction (voseo/ustedeo) of mitigation of the message, (2) the relationship (symmetric/asymmetric) of alternation between vos and usted, and (3) how uses of ustedeo are redefined from established definitions of “formality.” This study has a pragmatic focus based on courtesy theory. Vos and usted alternated actively, offering innovative practices as acts of power. Speakers use polite alternatives when familiarity and affect are negotiated through the use of voseo or ustedeo as a pragmatic value of the request.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction. Contemporary research on Latin American Spanish dialectology 1
-
Section I. Aspects of morphosyntactic and pragmatic variation
- Chapter 1. Between vos and usted 11
- Chapter 2. “Feel really Uruguayan” 29
- Chapter 3. Variable constraints on se lo(s) in Mexican Spanish 47
- Chapter 4. Variation and pragmatic enrichment 69
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Section II. Production, perception and sound system contact-driven restructuring
- Chapter 5. Social perception of the variable realization of /tʃ/ in Chile 97
- Chapter 6. Complex attitudes towards two sociolinguistic variables and their social meanings 125
- Chapter 7. Declarative intonation in four Afro-Hispanic varieties 155
- Chapter 8. ‘En esta petsa, este anio’ 181
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Section III. Language ideologies, business and pedagogical implications
- Chapter 9. Español neutro and marketing in Latin American and U.S. audiovisual media 207
- Chapter 10. Language policy and education in Peru 227
- Chapter 11. Twenty years of Guaraní-Spanish bilingual education in Paraguay 241
- Chapter 12. Bad grammar 275
- Index 289
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction. Contemporary research on Latin American Spanish dialectology 1
-
Section I. Aspects of morphosyntactic and pragmatic variation
- Chapter 1. Between vos and usted 11
- Chapter 2. “Feel really Uruguayan” 29
- Chapter 3. Variable constraints on se lo(s) in Mexican Spanish 47
- Chapter 4. Variation and pragmatic enrichment 69
-
Section II. Production, perception and sound system contact-driven restructuring
- Chapter 5. Social perception of the variable realization of /tʃ/ in Chile 97
- Chapter 6. Complex attitudes towards two sociolinguistic variables and their social meanings 125
- Chapter 7. Declarative intonation in four Afro-Hispanic varieties 155
- Chapter 8. ‘En esta petsa, este anio’ 181
-
Section III. Language ideologies, business and pedagogical implications
- Chapter 9. Español neutro and marketing in Latin American and U.S. audiovisual media 207
- Chapter 10. Language policy and education in Peru 227
- Chapter 11. Twenty years of Guaraní-Spanish bilingual education in Paraguay 241
- Chapter 12. Bad grammar 275
- Index 289
