Morphological adjectival intensifier variation in Lima, Peru
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Alvaro Cerrón-Palomino
Abstract
This variationist study is the first addressing the alternation of adjectival intensifiers -ísimo (standard) and -azo (non-standard) in Spanish, concretely, in the Limeño variety of Peru.Using online digitalized corpora, online journals, magazines, and e-networks, I conducted a multivariate analysis of this alternation. The results show that language use in colloquial texts of e-networks favor the use of -azo, as well as male speakers, which suggests covert prestige. Semantically negative adjectives, commonly used in colloquial texts, also favor the non-standard variant. Interestingly, stative/resultative constructions of the form estar + participle with an experiencer argument promote the use of -azo, suggesting that it is more specialized than -ísimo, which has abroader distribution.
Abstract
This variationist study is the first addressing the alternation of adjectival intensifiers -ísimo (standard) and -azo (non-standard) in Spanish, concretely, in the Limeño variety of Peru.Using online digitalized corpora, online journals, magazines, and e-networks, I conducted a multivariate analysis of this alternation. The results show that language use in colloquial texts of e-networks favor the use of -azo, as well as male speakers, which suggests covert prestige. Semantically negative adjectives, commonly used in colloquial texts, also favor the non-standard variant. Interestingly, stative/resultative constructions of the form estar + participle with an experiencer argument promote the use of -azo, suggesting that it is more specialized than -ísimo, which has abroader distribution.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction xi
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Part I. Theoretical and descriptive approaches
- No superiority, no intervention effects 3
- Overt PRO in Romance 25
- The semantics and pragmatics of andar and venir + gerund 49
- Sequence of tenses in complementation structures 69
- Fue muerto 89
- Temporal and spectral dependencies in the processing of Spanish and English stop consonant voicing 113
- Segmental and prosodic conditionings on gradient voicing assimilation in Spanish 127
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Part II. Language acquisition
- The sum is more than its parts 147
- Does agreement affect the syntax of bare nominal subjects in Russian–Spanish bilinguals? 169
- Perfecting the past 191
- The protracted acquisition of past tense aspectual values in child heritage Spanish 211
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Part III. Language contact and language variation
- Morphological adjectival intensifier variation in Lima, Peru 233
- An experimental approach to hypercorrection in Dominican Spanish 251
- Dialect identification and listener attributes 269
- Sociophonetic analysis of young Peninsular Spanish women’s voice quality 293
- A sociophonetic analysis of trill production in Panamanian Spanish 313
- Index 337
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction xi
-
Part I. Theoretical and descriptive approaches
- No superiority, no intervention effects 3
- Overt PRO in Romance 25
- The semantics and pragmatics of andar and venir + gerund 49
- Sequence of tenses in complementation structures 69
- Fue muerto 89
- Temporal and spectral dependencies in the processing of Spanish and English stop consonant voicing 113
- Segmental and prosodic conditionings on gradient voicing assimilation in Spanish 127
-
Part II. Language acquisition
- The sum is more than its parts 147
- Does agreement affect the syntax of bare nominal subjects in Russian–Spanish bilinguals? 169
- Perfecting the past 191
- The protracted acquisition of past tense aspectual values in child heritage Spanish 211
-
Part III. Language contact and language variation
- Morphological adjectival intensifier variation in Lima, Peru 233
- An experimental approach to hypercorrection in Dominican Spanish 251
- Dialect identification and listener attributes 269
- Sociophonetic analysis of young Peninsular Spanish women’s voice quality 293
- A sociophonetic analysis of trill production in Panamanian Spanish 313
- Index 337
